"And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it--In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children--and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land." Book of Mormon, Alma 46:12-13.
I've been thinking about this and how important it is for us to protect the same things: our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives [families], and our children. The more I think about it, the more I also think it's very significant that Moroni wrote the title of liberty on his rent (torn) coat. How so?
Well, I think that it is a reminder of how simple it can be for us to defend out rights and our liberty and those things that are most precious to us. Moroni used what he had on hand. It happened to be his coat. What do we have on hand? Well, for starters, we have social media. I don't need to tear a coat and wave it on a pole. I can share a message much more quickly, with far more people, by blogging and/or posting to Facebook. These things are readily available. I don't have to look far.
Even reading about Moroni putting on his armor takes on great significance for us. We may not be called to fight in a physical war. But just as Moroni had his armor and prepared himself for battle, we can be constantly preparing ourselves. "He bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God..." Isn't that even more powerful than the physical armor he wore? Our preparation should be the same. We, too, need to pray mightily. We need to study the word of God, both in the scriptures and in the words of the living prophets. We need to be prepared to speak up and defend the things that are most important to us, and we can best prepare by studying and inviting the Spirit into our lives. In this way, our "armor" will always be with us.
I may not carry a literal title of liberty--not a torn coat, not a flag with writing on it. But I hope that the way I live will represent my love for and my desire to defend those Moroni mentions: God, religion, freedom, peace, family. I might add my country to the list; the stars and stripes still represent all of these things to me. I may never be directly involved in a physical war. I hope I will not. But I also hope that the way I live will demonstrate that I am on the Lord's side, and that I will defend truth and liberty. I don't know what may be asked of me. But I know, especially as I continue to consider these verses, that I can do what is necessary now, as simple as it may seem, to be prepared for whatever God may require of me.
We all need to call these things to remembrance again and again. They need to be written on our hearts.
ReplyDeleteCathy, it's interesting to note that this culture of people rent their clothes in times of deep distress: if someone had died, or if they were expressing cutting themselves off from something unclean.
ReplyDelete"The tearing or rending of clothes was an outward sign of grief and distress over some disaster or calamity. It was also a sign of deep sorrow and mourning over someone who has died. Sometimes it indicated a holy indignation (righteous ANGER) against sin and what is contrary to God’s Word."
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/bofbooks/booksch6.htm
So, not only was Moroni using what was close at hand; he was mourning the fact that so many of his fellow citizens had abandoned God's commandments and were seeking for power and division. He had deep sorrow over the calamity they were in. He was testifying to the people that they were in danger because of rebellion and division and that they needed to return to God in order to remain safe and regain his favor. He reminded them to remember all that they held dear.
This is particularly a great lesson for our time. Thank you for sharing.