I make two promises in this post that I can guarantee I will not break.

In Alma 49, Moroni and his Nephites get a bunch of cities destroyed. And they have to rebuild them, and that's probably really frustrating after all the work they must have put into them in the first place.

And then in chapter 50 verse 23, it says that the Nephites had never had a happier time.

For those of you who struggle with math, that's ONE CHAPTER LATER. One chapter later, the Nephites are happy and not only that, they're happier than ever before.

Sometimes we get beat, and sometimes we even get destroyed. Sometimes those"cities" that we've put the very most work into get smashed between the finger and thumb of some stupid Lamanite. You sleep through work, you get sick right before Prom, you fail your math final, your grandpa goes to the hospital for the thousandth time, your prime investigator's baptismal date falls through, none of the investigators show up to church, you get (another) ticket, you miss your friend's birthday, you get another bill in the mail, you get within one inch of graduating and can't make it, your mom is diagnosed with cancer, you just plain get beat.

We get beat. But don't forget Alma 49. Moroni, known has a hell-shaking prophet, got beat. You're not weak if you get beat. What you are is in great company. I'd be compared to Moroni any day! Getting beat is not the sign of a weak person. Getting beat is simply a sign to rebuild, try again, and get better. Wake up for work on time tomorrow, make your own Prom in the living room a weekend later, retake that stupid math class, and take flower to your Grandpa. Invite them all again to church, pay for the dang ticket, send a late birthday card with an extra sweet note, ask your next door neighbor for an odd job to help pay for the cell phone bill. Retake the P.E. class you forgot you failed in the 9th grade, and pray really, really hard for your mom. Getting beat happens to the best of us, and that's as far from cliche as I can get, because Moroni really is the best of us, and he got beat.

And then REMEMBER THAT THINGS GET BETTER. It might not be the next chapter of your life like it was for Moroni and his Nephites, but the "happier than ever" time will come. I can promise you that, because it's happened to me, it's been real to me, I've seen it work.

One of my favorites said it well:

“Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. Some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

So don't be scared of Lamanites, don't be scared of squashed cities, and most importantly, don't be scared of rebuilding. 

(for y'all that ain't Mormon and don't get my Nephite and Lamanite references, go find a Book of Mormon and read it. it'll change your life. promise.)

this has nothing to do with the post. i just like my sisters.