Remembering Captivity

As a History major, remembering all sorts of things about our forefathers has been a priority. When I came across a Book of Mormon scripture that said we needed to remember the captivity of our fathers I wondered what the purpose was. Surely it wasn't to encourage self-pity or a blaming outlook. I found the answers in the next two lines. All three start identically: "have you sufficiently retained in remembrance..." The second line shows that when we remember the captivity, we should also remember God's mercy in releasing them from captivity.

My forefathers are not the ones mentioned in the Book of Mormon but they too were protected. They were chased from Missouri and Illinois by mobs. They were delivered from suffering and the threat of violence by a loving Heavenly Father. They where led by a prophet of God to the safety of the Rocky Mountains.

The Jews have memories of the Holocaust and pogroms. They remember God's mercy in the web pages recounting the stories of the rescuers and by placing monuments to their kindness in Israel.

The third line reminds us to remember that God has "delivered their souls from hell." So He has provided them with a physical and a spiritual deliverance. Because He is the same yesterday, today and forever, we know that he will treat us the same way He treated them.

Finally, the word "sufficiently" means to remember enough. If I remember enough, I will be motivated to seek his deliverance in my life, from my sins. In other words, I will repent. "President Joseph F. Smith said: 'When [we receive] the truth [we] will be saved by it. [We] will not be saved merely because someone taught it to [us], but because [we] received and acted upon it'” (see "Teaching Helps Saves Lives")

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)