The Joy of Reading...

Yesterday I picked Katelyn up from work about 1pm and we headed home. We dined on frozen Taquitos. We did cook them first. I told Katelyn I really wanted to clean some in the house in the afternoon, do some more in our reading, keep my laundry going, prepare dinner and be ready for my Bridge Call Training at 7pm. I told her she could pick the order. Katelyn opted for lunch, cleaning, then reading. She didn't want to have to rush through reading to get to cleaning so she felt cleaning should be done and out of the way so we could read at our leisure.

Plan in place...action!!  Katelyn cleaned the upstairs guest bathroom and her bedroom. I cleaned the downstairs bathroom and the family room. During this time I kept moving my laundry from washer to dryer. During this time Katelyn listened to Pandora and a TV show she missed in the evening. I just love this computer technology.

I must confess when I finished my basement cleaning I also sat down and played through my two new songs on the piano. I get a little better each time I go through them. And I truly enjoy the music to 'Hallelujah' and 'You Raise Me Up'.

Katelyn and I met in the living room to begin our reading in our Book of Mormon. We are in Mosiah and our goal yesterday was to read Chapters 2-6. These are King Benjamin's address. They are full of lots of what I call 'plain doctrine'.

My favorite scripture is tucked in those chapters. It is Mosiah 3:19 and reads, "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and  becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

I love this verse because, to me anyway, it condenses down what this earth life portion of our journey is all about. Bringing that 'natural man' or our earthly bodies (created by our parents) into sync with the 'saint' or our spiritual bodies (created by our Heavenly Father). To try and become more like our Heavenly Father and prepare ourselves to return to Him some day. It is just life in a nutshell and I love that verse tremendously.

Katelyn and I read about 2 chapters and then Claude returned home for the evening. Katelyn and I moved to the breakfast table and started preparing dinner together. While it cooked we would read another chapter and then get up and stir the squash cooking in the skillet. Eventually Claude came in and took over the cooking chores so Katelyn and I could read. Thanks Big Guy!!

I really wanted this blog entry to help me remember what a joy it is to read scriptures with a young person.

Katelyn just kept saying, "I love this book (Mosiah)!" She found several verses or bits of verses that we paused for her to underline or make a note about.

We chuckled at Mosiah 4:14 where it states parents are not to let their children go hungry or naked. Then it says they are not to let them transgress the laws of God. We aren't supposed to let them fight and quarrel with one another or they will be serving the master of sin who is the devil. Now, Katelyn has younger siblings and there are the occasional quarrels. We did get a giggle out of no quarrels or fighting but she really understood why that is not good and why we should not do it.

She also loved verse 24 in chapter 14 where it speaks of retaining a remission of your sins only if you care for those less fortunate than yourself. Verse 24 specifically speaks of those who have nothing to give to others. It states that those who say, "I give not because I have not but if I had I would give" the Lord understands their situation and accepts that desire to give. This really touched Katelyn and she underlined it.

We talked about it 'not being requisite (necessary) to run faster than we have strength...BUT... we must be diligent and do things in order. Katelyn felt I really needed this scripture. Hmmmmm.....

Portions of the time she was reading she read using 'me' and 'I' as though it were she that was recording her sermon. I told her it was a good section to read as a person investigating the Church as she is. The people King Benjamin taught were being converted and experiencing a 'change of heart' in their lives. Katelyn was also taught by the missionaries that it helps to make the scriptures your own if you put your name in place of the person in the story and liken the scriptures to yourself. I was amused and pleased when she just thought to do that on portions of our reading.

In chapter 5 of Mosiah, the last verse, verse 15, states, "I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his,..." Katelyn was reading out loud and she paused and went, "Ohhhhh, I want to be sealed His!!"  I love that she speaks out and says what is in her heart and thoughts at those moments. It lets me know she is not reading for speed but she is trying to understand what is recorded in the scriptures and she is personalizing it.

King Benjamin dies in chapter 6. Poor Katelyn hates when the prophets die. She really does not enjoy those parts. I've tried to tell her that when their words just before their death are recorded, as King Benjamin, Nephi and Jacob's were, she should pay special attention. These are precious truths they wanted and felt impressed to share with their family, friends and those they were the leaders of before they wouldn't be there to counsel them anymore. They are always full of good doctrine and truths we need to understand and live by.  Katelyn mourned in her own verbal way at the loss of King Benjamin, whose words she loved reading.

There were many more moments shared while reading those few chapters but these suffice for this record. I just want to remember the joy of reading the Book of Mormon again, out loud, with a child I love. I had the privilege of doing this with Jake before his mission many years ago. We read the New Testament together. I remember laughter at interesting words or phrases. I remember strong feelings of the Spirit as we read those tender passages in the New Testament.

This morning, I just wanted to be sure I had in this journal of my journey the joy I felt to read again (through a young person's eyes) my scriptures and reaffirm my testimony of these great truths. I love my scriptures. I call them my 'textbook for life'. I'm grateful that Katelyn is here this summer and sharing this time with me reading the Book of Mormon.