This last week I finished reading The Book of Mormon again. Once a year I like to read it in about a week focusing on a certain aspect of it or on a question that I have. This time I looked at the women of The Book of Mormon. I really learned a lot from these women and how they lived their lives. There is not a lot said about the women in The Book of Mormon, but as I've studied what was said and taught about them I really came to admire their faith and example to me as a woman.
One of my favorite stories was that of the queen of King Lamoni. When Ammon first preaches to King Lamoni, King Lamoni is overcome with the spirit and falls as if he were dead. The servants take the king to his wife and his family mourns over him for two days and nights. Before they take his body to lay it in the sepulchre, the queen asks for Ammon to come to her. Ammon comes and inquires what she would like him to do. She replies telling him what the servants told her that he was a prophet of God and that he had the power to do "mighty works in his name"(Alma 19:4). She asks him to go see her husband because she did not believe that he was dead. Ammon knew he was not dead, but under the power of God and that "the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind" and he had been overcome by the Spirit. He goes to see the king and tells the queen that the king was not dead but slept in God and would rise the next day. Ammon asks her if she believes his words and she readily tells him that she does indeed believe. Ammon then says, "Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites" (19:10). I really believe that for Ammon to say this was a great compliment. He was the son of a very faithful king. He personally knew Alma and was a great friend to Alma the Younger. I'm sure he knew many faithful Nephites, but to this woman he says that her simple faith was greater that that seen "among all the people of the Nephites." King Lamoni does wake the next day and the first thing he does is stretch out his hand to his wife and say, "Blessed be the name of God and blessed are thou" (19:12). She listens to his testimony and then is herself overpowered by the Spirit. When she awakens, she is filled with joy and bears her testimony to her people. What an amazing example of faith! She only had the witnesses of her servants and Ammon and she was able to have faith that her husband would awake.
There are so many more stories of faithful sisters in The Book of Mormon and I can go on and on about them, but I'll let you learn about them on your own. :0) The Book of Mormon is another testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I am able to read it and feel the Spirit testify to me of its truth and of the purity of the principles contained in it. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that he was able to see God the Father and Jesus Christ in the grove of trees when he was only 14 years old. I'm thankful that he had the faith and courage throughout his life to live the principles he was taught and to organize the true church of our Heavenly Father here on this earth so that I can have it in my life now. I'm so thankful for my Savior! I'm thankful that He took upon Him my sins and suffered for all the wrongs I do in my life. I'm also thankful for His sacrifice so that I may have someone who truly knows of my sicknesses, my trials, my heartaches and pain, my hopes and dreams, and my love and joy. I hope I can live my life working hard to be worthy of that gift! I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for all he has blessed me with in my life. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity." ~Washington Irving
