"...by labouring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, ... did once more establish peace in the land" (Words of Mormon 1:18)

As thoughts of soul expanding experiences have been on my mind, the words of this scripture took on new meaning for me. "Wherefore, with the help of these [holy men], king Benjamin, by labouring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land" (Words of Mormon 1:18).

As a mother, I have been given the help of  holy men and women, such as sisters, brothers, friends, leaders, parents, grandparents, teachers, bishops, and so many more people to help me establish peace. I have labored "with all the might of [my] body and the faculty of [my] whole soul..." to establish peace in our home. Think about these words, faculty of the whole soul. It's with the entirety of our souls that we do all we can to help lift and strengthen the family of God.

As a parent, I do use "all the might of my body" to help my family be united and strengthened in God's love. I do know what true peace, even the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7), feels like and I want my children to feel it, too. I don't know of any parent that doesn't seek and strive to maintain peace in their homes.

And then the words: "...faculty of  his whole soul..." (Words of Mormon 1:18). This phrase caught my attention. Faculty means: "1) an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action: a faculty for making friends easily. 2) one of the powers of the mind, as memory, reason, or speech: Though very sick, he is in full possession of all his faculties. 3) an inherent capability of the body: the faculties of sight and hearing. 4) exceptional ability or aptitude: a president with a faculty for management."
Nephi said this about "faculty": 

• "Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things" (1 Nephi 15:25).

  To me, this sounds very much like the soul expanding experience of a mother trying to teach her children to learn of God, to put their trust in God. It's the soul expanding experience that comes as I teach my children to repent and keep the commandments because they love God more than the fear of not knowing everything.  I know this, because I do believe I use all the faculties I possess, even those of love, of patience, of hearing the still small voice of the Spirit...I use every single faculty so that my "children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26). 
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  • I can tell you that every day is worth the effort. Every day, all the small things, they do add up and make "great things come to pass" (Alma 37:6). I'm writing this for myself, because I find it too easy to forget that all those small things do make all the difference. All of my efforts, using all my faculties, and all my might, is soul expanding- not just their souls, but my soul as well. Keep up the "Great Work" (Alma 26:3, D&C 64:33)! It's totally worth all the effort. This I testify.
    

    

    The small things in life add up and truly expand my soul.