REMEMBERING

 

Have you noticed how often ‘remembrance’ is used in the scriptures? Remembering the history of ‘the fathers’ seemed to have been an ancient method of motivating people to obedience. Nephites were often prompted to remember not only the children of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt but also of Lehi’s journey to the promised land. Both of these events are depicted in the account of King Benjamin’s farewell speech where the people ‘sat in their tents’ during the renewal of their covenants to help them remember Israelites’ living in tents for 40 years and Lehi’s 8 years of tent living in the wilderness. Remembering was anciently the key factor in covenant renewal. King Benjamin speaks of ‘remembering’ 15 times in his speech to his sons and to the people gathered to hear him (Mosiah 1:3,4,6,7,17; 2:40 twice, 41 twice; 4:11,28,30; 5:11,12; 6:3).

 

When I was growing up in the Catholic community of Croatia, I was stirred into remembrance of Christ constantly as every home, including my own, had pictures of Him in every room. I am not exaggerating here. I now paste pictures of Him in my journal and my planner constantly. I have done this for years. I think I have subconsciously wanted to continue that habit of visual remembrance. There are of course many ways we can remember the covenants we have made here. 

 

There is something that King Benjamin said that stood out to me this morning as I studied his speech again. He said we are made of dust but the dust belongs to Him who created us, therefore, we are not our own (Mosiah 2:25). It made me reflect on Paul who took this fact to another level when he said: “….Ye are bought with a price…” (1 Cor 6:20), the Atonement being that price. Christ could not buy us without our consent, the consent which we gave before we were born, when we voted and sustained Him to work out our salvation and uphold the Father’s plan to exalt His children. This is the covenant worth remembering. Some of us think, “it’s my body and my life, I can do whatever I want with it”, but it’s not really, is it? I think we gave up that right long ago. 

 

I pledged my life into thy hands

When by example you showed me how;

I promised my trials to endure

When I was with You and even now.

You dried my tears when I barely coped

And carried me when I could walk no more;

You fed me truths I needed to know

And nurtured my flight into the unknown.

I found you at every turn

In the shadow of my heart;

With eager haste I approach Thy throne

And offer my meagre part.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Randy Friemel)