2 Nephi Chapter 11

I'm finding that most of my personally meaningful insights into the scriptures these days come not from my personal scripture study, but from our family reading of the Book of Mormon. Part of this may be a factor of the time of day; we're reading together in the evening, and the quiet of reflection after the kids are in bed is perhaps better for me that the hecticness of reading on my own while commuting to work and then being thrust into the office and classroom.

Regardless of its cause, I'm enjoying what I see in 2 Nephi. Last Friday night the kids and I read 2 Nephi chapter 11, where Nephi repeats four times a phrase that impressed me: "my soul delighteth." Those three words seem to encapsulate much of what I think is crucial in our spiritual journey, the fact that we can find joy in the reality of the atonement and the promises it brings to each of us and to our families.

The second iteration of this phrase, found in verse 5, is to me the most significant, as the covenants of the Lord are at the core of the gospel, and understanding those covenants is the fundamental element of our conversion and spiritual growth.

In the context of this verse, this idea is especially poignant, as Nephi declares that his soul delights in God's grace, justice, power, and mercy, and "in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death."

Obviously I am going to highlight this as further support for the thesis statement of the Book of Mormon (note, for example, how Nephi sews mercy and deliverance together once more), but the connection between what Nephi says here and what his younger brother taught a few chapters earlier is also important. Nephi had taught this idea, but he is also learning from Jacob's testimony and building on that.

The message of constantly learning and developing a deeper testimony is meaningful to me, as I find myself learning from my children at the same time that they learn from me and Summer.