It's Not You, It's Me

©Darrell Wyatt

I live across the valley from the Wellsville Mountains.  During the winter time, I can see them from some of the windows in my house.  They are breathtaking.  According to many sources, these mountains are considered to be the steepest mountain range in the world.  I don't quite understand how the measurements work, but it has something to do with the width of the base compared to the height.  Small, but mighty.

I mention the Wellsvilles, because the story that I read today is probably one of the lesser known stories in the Book of Mormon, but it is the one that has had the largest impact on my life.  It, like the mountains, is small but mighty.  I know I've said this a few times, but today's chapter really is one of my very favorites.  In fact, I knew that it was coming today, and I could hardly sleep last night.  I kept waking up, thinking of what I could say to convey the emotion that this chapter brought to the surface the first time I really read it.  I hope that I am able to do it justice.

As in many of the Book of Mormon periods of time, this particular one was riddled with contention between the good guys and the evil guys.  As usual, the good guys were those who believed in Christ and lived righteous, God-fearing lives.  However, the bad guys had changed.  They were called the Gadianton Robbers.  The epitome of evil. They had their own secret society which, for the most part, stayed in mountains, separated from the Nephites.  They had spies that would infiltrate regular society and secret signs that they would use to be able to tell who else among the people were aligned with them.  They would murder and steal, and it was nearly impossible to catch them because they were so secretive.  True evil in action.

In today's chapter, the governor of the land, Lachoneus, received a letter from the leader of the Gadianton Robbers.  I don't usually like to quote such a large chunk of the chapters I read, but there's no way I can do this justice by paraphrasing it.  The letter said:

Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so.   And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them.  And I, knowing of their unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit you with utter destruction.

Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle.  Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you.  Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance.  And behold, I swear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct.

And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us.  And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, and except ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. 

I am Giddianhi. 

(3 Nephi 3:2-10)

When I first read this letter, I was amazed at the manipulative, conniving wording that Giddianhi chose.  He started out by flattering Lachoneus - telling him what a noble and courageous person he was.  Inviting Lachoneus to bring his people to join with the Gadianton Robbers.  Pretending to be looking after his welfare.  Quite an evil mastermind.

As much as I was drawn into the story by this letter, it is Lachoneus' reaction that is the lesson.

Now behold, this Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a robber; therefore he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against the time that the robbers should come down against them. (3 Nephi 3:12)

Lachoneus told his people to pray.  Not surprising, since that would be the reaction of any just and righteous leader.  The surprise, and truly life-changing example to me, was what he asked them to pray for.  He did not ask his people to pray that the Gadianton Robbers would not come against them.  He did not ask them to pray to be spared from fighting.  He asked them to pray that they would be prepared when the Robbers did come against them.  

How often have I prayed that I will be spared the pain or discomfort of something that I know is inevitable?  How often have I prayed, when in the midst of conflict, that the other person's heart would be softened or their feelings toward me changed?  Instead, I should have been praying that I would be changed.  That I would be able to bear the pain or discomfort.  That my heart would be softened.

There will be times that conflict or pain or loneliness or heartbreak is inevitable.  There's nothing we can do to change that.  There will be people who are angry with us, whether we feel that the anger is justified or not.  It's part of this life's growing experiences.  To ask Heavenly Father to take all that away from us is reneging on our part of His plan.  We knew that this life would be a test - a challenge that would help us grow.  Asking for no trials would be like asking God for the answers to the test.  It might make getting to the end easier, but we would learn nothing.  We should only ask, as Lachoneus did, that God will give us the strength to make it through.

Click here to read what I read today: 3 Nephi 3