Far, Far Away

Today in Relief Society we didn’t have a teacher, so instead our RS Pres suggested we take turns standing and sharing our favorite Christmas carol. Then we all sang it. It was a really great meeting, but despite my efforts to stand and share I got beat down every time by another sister who was just a little faster than me. So I thought I’d share my thought and carol here.

For some reason whenever I’ve thought about Christmas for the past month and a half, the book of Enos pops into my head. Not a very overwhelming thing, since the book of Enos is only one chapter. In this chapter, Enos goes out into the woods to pray to God about his soul. When he receives an answer of redemption, Enos does not stop praying. He continues, praying for his brethren, the Nephites. Now, I’m sure most of us include our siblings and family members in our prayers. That’s not what struck me. What struck me is the next thing that Enos prays for. He prays for his enemies, the Lamanites. He prays that they will be able to come to know God, and that the scriptures will be preserved for just that purpose. So the thought that accompanied my continual remembrance of this story was the most meaningful thing to me. The thought was “THAT is the Christmas spirit.” It’s not a Christmas scripture at all. Just a young man, a young prophet, out in the woods, praying for people that couldn’t care less about him. Praying for people that have likely tried to kill him at some point in his life. And yet, he prays that God will know them, help them, and save them.

So the song I would have picked if we’d have had more time in Relief Society today is Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains.

“Sweet are the strains of redeeming love, Message of mercy from heav’n above…Hasten the time when, from ev’ry clime. Men shall unite in the strains sublime: Glory to God…Peace on earth, good will to men.

Merry Christmas =]