Limhi vs. Alma...and me.

You know that place right before full consciousness in the morning, but you are still kind of asleep?  Well, when I was in that place this morning, I was thinking about a story I remembered reading in the Book of Mormon about two groups of people that were in bondage to the Lamanites (one of the groups of people inhabiting the Americas long ago).  The first were the people of Limhi.  The Second were the people of Alma.  For those not familiar with the story, you can find it Mosiah 21-24.  I read it again, and was pretty touched with what I found.

The people of Limhi had not been converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In fact, they had rejected the prophet Abinidi that was sent to them, and rejected his teachings.  When bondage and the suffering that comes from the loss of liberty ensued, they became angry.  Three times they rose up to battle against their captors.  Three times they were grossly defeated.  But it was only after all that suffering that they had been sufficiently humbled that they cried out to God to save them.  They ultimately found a way to escape.

The people of Alma had recently been converted to the Gospel.  They had repented, and were doing everything in their power to follow God. 

When they found themselves in a situation similar to Limhi's people in bondage to the Lamanites, they did not become angry, but prayed.  When they were threatened with death if they prayed, they prayed harder in their hearts.  Not once did I read about them becoming angry or bitter.  The Lord reached out to them with a comforting promise that He would make their burdens light and that He would deliver them out of bondage.  The people then "...did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (emphasis added)  The Lord then tells Alma, "Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go awith thee and deliver this people out of bondage."  Through miraculous events, the people were delivered, and once they were finally free, they "...poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God. And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God."

I find the contrast of these two groups of people fascinating.  I find it remarkable that these two examples of ways to approach a similar situation were located right next to each other in the scriptures.  And I find it miraculous that wherever we fit into this pendalum, our Heavenly Father loves each of us, and reaches out to all of us in our times of need.