The ONE Thing That Will See Us Through

One memorable evening, after participating in a fireside in Tremonton, Utah, I strapped myself into my little Hyundai and set out for the drive home. As I proceeded southbound along the Wasatch Front, I marveled at the number of temples I passed along the way.

I thought about each one I might see if I continued down the I-15 corridor, naming them in my mind: Brigham City, Ogden, Bountiful, Salt Lake, Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain, Draper, Timpanogos, Provo, Payson, and so forth.

But the thought that wouldn’t leave me as I drove that evening was not so much about the buildings. It was about the man, the icon standing atop nearly all of our temples—that solitary figure, the angel Moroni. There he was, all alone, looking out over the valleys like the watchman on a tower that he was. It occurred to me that being alone was something with which Moroni was painfully familiar.

My mind began to race. This may be a family church, I thought, but it was restored through an unmarried teenager who was visited and tutored by an angel—who spent at least the last twenty years of his life as a single adult, alone and wandering for his own safety. Moroni is one of the symbols of our membership. He is on the cover of For the Strength of Youth, Personal Progress, and Duty to God. How much different would the Book of Mormon be without Moroni’s work? I had the thought, Moroni’s best work was done while he was a single adult—an affirming, comforting, and motivating fact for a large population within our Church. Marital status does not increase or diminish our ability to contribute, and it does not change what the Lord expects of us.

I find it fascinating to consider Moroni’s unique perspective as I ponder what he wrote to us while in extremely difficult, lonely, and sorrowful circumstances. We might call it Moroni’s “last lecture,” his final, best advice he had to offer as a voice from the dust.

Moroni begins chapter 8 of Mormon with a painful list of everything he’s lost – his family, his father, his friends, and initially, even his purpose. But the one thing he hasn’t lost is the only thing that will see him through – his faith in Christ.

 The beginning of Mormon chapter 8 is an outpouring of emotion and grief.  But when Moroni closes chapter 8, he sounds like a different person.  He refuses to be bitter, he puts what has past behind him, and he looks forward with powerful faith in Christ. To paraphrase, Moroni writes (and you can almost imagine him pounding the pulpit), “I make an end of speaking concerning the past. I am Moroni. I am a son of Mormon. And I’m going to finish this record!” The results are stunning. We call them the book of Ether, and Moroni chapters 1 through 10. What a gift!  And from a man who was by himself, but with his faith in Christ, never really alone.

Parts of this post are excerpted from John's new book "Moroni's Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times" available at Deseret Book (and TOFW events). John will be sharing more lessons he's learned about relying on Jesus Christ from the stage at TOFW events during the Centered In Christ tour. We hope you'll join us in a city near you!