Zion's Camp

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 103. This is another section that is about the Saints in Missouri and their suffering. The Lord again reiterates that the reason for the suffering of the Saints in Zion was due in part at least to the fact that they were not keeping the statutes and commandments of God as they ought to have.

The end of this section was a commandment to the prophet Joseph Smith to organize a force of at least 100 men to go down to Zion to redeem the Saints there. This group of men is commonly called Zion's Camp. The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in this dispensation all came from Zion's Camp I believe. It was a hard time for all the people involved at that time, both the Saints in Missouri and the brethren in Zion's Camp.

A lot of people who went on Zion's camp did not understand why they were organized in the first place because once they finally got down to Missouri, the Lord told them to turn around and go home. Some of the men took this in stride and went home knowing they had done the Lord's will. I often wondered if I had been part of Zion's camp, which group I would have fallen in with. Would I have been meek and humble and let the experience change me and say, "The Lord's will be done"? Or would I have hardened my heart and felt the whole journey would be for nothing?

I will never know how I would have reacted if I had been in Zion's camp, but I can have a good idea based on how I react in this day and age. How do I react when my church leaders send out a call to serve now? That should give me a good idea of how I would have reacted if I had been on Zion's camp. It is a hard thing to build character I think. The idea is that character is built by doing activities that are tough, not fun and cause us to put aside our own desires and focus instead on what is best for us, whether it is pleasant or not. It's things like having a good work ethic, to put aside our own selfish desires and serve others instead of ourselves.

I think it also gives us a different perspective. When we have gone through something that is tough, something that stretches us to our limits and sometimes pushes us past that to a place we didn't even know existed, we grow and become a better person. But it also makes the little bumps that then come up later not seem nearly so bad. It gives us perspective and allows us to see that while what we are going through right now is tough, it is not impossible and as long as we work with the Lord to get through it, we will ultimately be better off because of it. For example, Brigham Young went on Zion's Camp. Then, a decade or so later in his life, he had to organize the exodus of all the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a much farther trek, in much harsher conditions. I have no doubt in my mind that Brigham's participation in Zion's Camp prepared him for leading the Saints across the plains of the Mid-West.

All trials and tribulations can be for our benefit if we approach them in the right way. Zion's Camp was not about reclaiming the Saints lost land and redressing the wrongs that had been committed against them. It was about changing the lives of those 100 men for good or for the worse and preparing the future leaders of the Church. As I write this I am struck by the idea that when we are faced with trials, we will be changed, either for good or ill, we will be a different person one way or another. Much like our testimony, we cannot stand still, we are either progressing or regressing in this life and trials force us to change for the better or the worse. I had not thought of it in quite those terms before now. But it is very true that in this life every experience we have will cause us to change. Some changes are very small, some are life changing. But we are always moving in this life, physically, emotionally or spiritually.

I really do hope that I never have to go through something as drastic as Zion's Camp, but if we don't we are going to have make that kind of progress another way. We are all striving to become like Christ is, that means, to me at least, that we are going to have to experience things that will change us in the way that we become more like Christ. For some, little jumps and bounds are what is needed. But for others more drastic change is needed and so more drastic experiences are needed. I would only counsel that whatever your trials and challenges that come your way, that you work hand in hand with God to make sure they work for your benefit and do not drive you away from Him instead. Until tomorrow.