Reading Sections 17-20

Like the sections prior to these, important stuff was explained throughout sections 17-20. Section 17 told of the Three Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. Section 18, contains one of the simplest yet very powerful scriptures about the worth of souls. Section 19 gave great insight into the gift of repentance we were so graciously given and section 20 tells of how the Church is to be run in specific circumstances.

I enjoyed reading all of these sections, but one thing in particular stood out to me. It was actually from the manual but it relates to Section 17. The manual tells the story of Lucy Mack Smith and what she remembered when Joseph came home after seeing the plates again with the Three Witnesses. When Joseph came home the first thing he did was go to his father and mother and tell them the news. This alone shows what a great man Joseph Smith was. He honored his father and mother to the highest degree. What a great example! But what hit me the most was when he said, "...now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world." What strong feelings Joseph had! He had one of the heaviest burdens imaginable and had been doing a great job at bearing it, but still it was hard. I can't even fathom what it would have been like. But when the angel appeared and showed the plates to Oliver, David and Martin, Joseph could finally breathe easy. Before in was alone in the world, but now, his burden was lifted, if only a little, every little bit counts.