This year one of our ward missionaries put out a challenge to read the Book of Mormon in the same amount of time it took the Prophet Joseph Smith to translate the entire book. If any of you are like me, I had to look up on lds.org to find out what kind of a timeframe I was looking at. After a little research, it was figured it took him from April 7-June 30. In my mind I knew this was not going to be an easy thing for me but it would be a good challenge. And that’s where my Book of Mormon Marathon reading began.
During this time of my life, I was also training for a Marathon. Normally, I do most of my running with some running partners. It just so happened that this year there were injuries and conflicting schedules that did not make running together possible. Of course, this meant a lot of running on my treadmill. Typically, I don’t enjoy running alone or on a treadmill. My training regimen all of a sudden became very depressing and not enjoyable!!
It was at this point that I decided I was going to read my Book of Mormon while training on the treadmill!! Each morning I would wake up and take to the treadmill. Those long runs no longer seemed so long or tedious. I didn’t mind running alone anymore. I was anxious to get back to my reading every single day.
Now this story isn’t about running on treadmills and reading. No, this story is about the world that opened up to me every single day as I took an hour or more to read from the Book of Mormon. The stories from the Book of Mormon spoke to me in a new way. I saw my life and the life of those around me in all the words I read. I found it difficult to read and not be overcome with the Spirit most days. I found myself anxious to read, ready to connect with people who came long before me. I found myself loving these people, loving their dedication to the Lord. I wanted to become a better person because of their stories.
My inner desire to be more like the Savior has grown stronger than ever before. My love of the Book of Mormon has made me a better person. I think this quote summarizes the Book of Mormon perfectly:
“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”
The Book of Mormon is not a musical. No, it’s a book that will change your life for the better. You will be touched in ways you didn’t think possible. You will find happiness that you didn’t know was missing. You will become the kind of person God wants you to be. You will have peace that cannot be found anywhere else. If you haven’t read the Book of Mormon, then do it!! Jump on your treadmill and start reading!! You won’t regret it, I promise!!!
-Heidi Prosser
