40Q: #2 Mercy me!

I wrote this years ago, no idea exactly when, but forgot to press publish. So this isn't current, but absolutely still resonates.

Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering...?
It started as a simple search for mercy.  I remembered one of my favorite references, in Moroni—an oft-forgotten portion of Moroni's promise: "...Remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts." There, scribbled in the outside margin was a single reference: 2 Nephi 1.

I turned there and started reading. Suddenly memories of where we've been and how we've been delivered were flooding to me as I replaced the names and places with my own:

"And he spake concerning our rebellions, and the mercies of God in sparing our lives, that we were not swallowed up in that metropolis of greater Los Angeles. ...How merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Los Angeles. For I have seen the news reports, in which I know that the real estate bubble has burst, and had we remained in Los Angeles we should also have perished."

I continued throughout the entire chapter, likening it to myself wherever I could see a parallel, and verse after verse jumped out as significant. But it wasn't until I got to the last page that it humbled me to my core:

"Rebel no more against your [husband], whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left [Los Angeles], and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise;"..."He hath suffered much sorrow because of you...for behold you have accused him that he sought power and authority over you...but he hath sought your own eternal welfare."

Right before I studied my scriptures I had prayed for some inspiration regarding our marriage, and this was my answer: You are married to a good man. Heed his counsel. Stop murmuring.  I started out studying about the Lord's mercy and ended up gaining some insight into my own husband's longsuffering.  You never know what's going to pierce you when you embark on a journey like this.

Forty Days and Forty Nights

I heard that there are over 40 Questions in the 5th chapter of Alma. (Which, by the way, has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember, because of the powerful use of imagery.) So I looked at the questions to see if I could focus on them one at a time, to ponder for a day — or even a week — at a time. I found a treasure trove.

At first I felt like they should be grouped together. But as I continued to ponder, I began to see how rich each individual question is; how leaving one out could mean I was missing out on some real and necessary insight. I also love the symbol-rich number forty. Forty years of the children of Israel marching in circles in the desert before they could get to the promised land. Forty days and forty nights that the Savior fasted at the beginning of his ministry. And Forty Questions in Alma.

So I'm spending a day at a time, pondering a question at a time, letting my thoughts spill out freely onto the page.

And at the same time I'm considering another unique challenge: The Maker's Diet. It's a 40-day regimen created by a messianic Jew (a Jew who accepts Christ) using all the wisdom contained in both the Old and New testaments regarding the care and feeding of our bodies. And of course I'm incorporating the Word of Wisdom as well. Because revelation didn't end when the Bible ended.

So the Maker's diet will be a little like a 40-day fast. And the 40 Questions will be my own personal journey out of bondage, to the promised land.

Anyone care to join me?