If you follow this blog you will have noted my saying that the Book of Mormon was written not only to us and for us, but also about us. If you’re not already a bit sick of me saying that, you’ll probably become so. One reason I repeat it is because I suspect most people who read my posts aren’t regularly returning for more and it’s such an important message I don’t want it to get lost. It’s not something I had recognised until the last couple of years – and I’ve spent my life so far (into my late 50’s) studying the Book of Mormon.

When I realised that Nephi’s statement about likening the scriptures to ourselves (1 Nephi 19:23) meant putting ourselves in the position of the people being preached to in the Book of Mormon, a whole new world of understanding opened to me. Putting ourselves in the shoes (or sandals) of Nephi is fine, but we’ll learn more if we assume we’re more like Laman and Lemuel. We’re less like Abinadi and more like King Noah. Rather than being like Alma, the wicked Zoramites provide a better example of our attitudes and behaviour. This is uncomfortable, for sure, but it’s the only way we can become the people God wants us to become. It’s the only way we truly apply what the Book of Mormon is trying to teach us into our lives.