Mormon had two important jobs near the end of his life—one that brought him joy and one that didn’t.
There wasn’t much joy in deciding to lead the Nephite army again, because he knew they weren’t repenting. Which meant that, ultimately, they were going to be wiped out by the Lamanites.
Fortunately, the Lord asked Mormon to work on another project at the same time: condensing the records of his people into what we know as the Book of Mormon! This process of taking pieces from different records and putting them together into one book is known as “abridging.”
Mormon found the small plates of Nephi—that is, 1 Nephi through Omni—and was delighted to include them. Studying the Lord’s promises and miracles from the past probably helped Mormon cope with his present-day troubles, just as reading the scriptures can do for us!
And since he was creating the record for us in the latter days, it probably gave Mormon hope to remember that the Church will not fall into apostasy. We will ultimately be victorious. Remembering that can help us have hope too.
If possible, try to accept the Church callings, assignments, and invitations that are given to you. They can invite blessings into your life that may be just what you need!
A Question to Ask
PS—You can find all of the Book of Mormon videos here!