"Our swords have become bright"

What had once been described as a "blood-thirsty" people, became a society who literally buried their weapons of war to never again fight or take the life of another person. They did this "as a testimony to our God." (Alma 24:16) So why would they do this? After years and years of wars and bloodshed -- what would move them to totally turn their lives around? To go a bit deeper than the Sunday school answer -- it wasn't just that they gained a testimony.  It wasn't just that they now believed in God. But rather, they stopped fighting -- entirely lost their desire to -- when they came to see their enemies as "their brethren." The gospel suddenly wasn't some arbitrary belief connected to an arbitrary being in a far off universe. God became "our God", the enemy became "our brethren", and so life took on real meaning as they realized they weren't just people grabbling over land, but they were children of a Heavenly Father. When we truly understand who we are -- and each of us is a child of God -- our behavior and desire will follow in the only way that makes sense. So if there is something that isn't right in your life, a habit you would like to change, or a frustration that you just can't get over, I invite you to learn more about who you are and let that knowledge change you and change how you think. I promise your desires will change and understandings will come to mind that inevitably bring peace -- truly your "swords" (challenges, weaknesses, sins, frustrations, etc.) will become bright as well. Take even one minute to pray and you'll know, as I'm often reminded, that you have never been anything less than a child of God.