Withersoever

Helaman 6:8-14

Withersoever

Withersoever: To which ever place. poetic.. archaic

Traveling withsoever we will, is a great blessing of freedom that comes with being an American. We have a fifty states with a wide diversity of geography to explore and experience. The ability and freedom of traveling withsoever we want is not free. It comes because states have learned to live in harmony with other varying state laws. Being able to travel withsoever we will brings about free trade and affords us the blessings of varying markets. Peace brings great blessings and freedoms. Peace, however is not free.

We have traveled quite a bit across the United States. Our children have likewise traveled quite frequently from the west to the east coast. When we lived in Wisconsin we traveled from the north to our family in the south. Always we encounter different cultures, laws, and situations. The reason we could travel was because of the peace our country has experienced.

A look at history will reveal that this has not always been so. During the Revolutionary War travel and free trade did not exist because peace did not exist. Great prices were paid with the blood of our ancestors to ensure that we could cross state lines, share state currency, and fish in shared waters. During the Civil War... well you get the picture. Peace needs to be part of the equation for us to be able to travel withsoever and enjoy the blessings of having whatsoever.. free trade.

Words and Phrases

Vs 8 did go whithersoever they would - only possible because everyone obeyed the laws. Only possible because of tolerance, acceptance, and adherence to higher laws of respect, forgiveness, compliance, obedience, service, selflessness, friendships,

vs 9 exceeding plenty - again caused by the majority of the people living a higher spiritual law that helped everyone focus on respecting one another over profit or to "get gain".

vs 10 curious workman - art is a sign of prosperity. Without the leisure time that prosperity brings there is little time for art, technology, and growth. Something caught my eye..

Is there a difference between prosperity and "they did become rich"? I tend to believe that where there is time to create works of curious workmanship.. then you have prosperity, but when you have excess or have attitudes where you begin to focus on your prosperity then you have "rich".

vs 12 they did flourish exceedingly - it appears that they also have had a prosperity of weather that helped them produce "grain in abundance", to the point where their population grew as they "did wax strong in the land".

vs 13 women did toil and spin and make all manner of cloth- fine twined linen and cloth of every kind. This is just an addition to the men's curious workmanship. There was such great peace that it fostered prosperity to the point where art and creative expression extended to the women. They now have time to weave not just basic cloth, but all manner of cloth. Now we have the predecessor for pride. It will be soon that the pride cycle will begin. We have great art that can be used to separate out the classes, and cloth of every kind that can be used to show off one's status.

vs 14 great joy and peace.. and much preaching and prophecies - there is religion and concern over more spiritual matters. There is discussion and teaching about this. The people have accepted one another's differences and have lived in tolerance of the differences. But mostly they have remembered their conversions and what it was that changed them spiritually.

We now have a new generation that did not know this conversion, nor did they have trials for which to gauge a contrast to. We now have an entire generation who believe because their parents believed. They have known little constraint, little conflict, little difficulty. They have enjoyed great peace, great diversity of culture as the people were allowed to go withsoever.

Will this change their perspective? Will they have the strength within them to stay close to the Lord? Will they have the memories of speaking with angels.

Enough

May you always have

enough happiness

to keep you sweet,

trials to keep you strong,

success to make you eager,

friends to give you comfort,

wealth to meet your needs,

enthusiasm to look for tomorrow,

and a growing love to make each

day better than the day before.

an old Irish wedding blessing

Which is the greater blessing? Being allowed to speak with angels and experience an eternal change of perspective or being able to travel whithersoever and having whatsoever we want?