I am a book hoarder. Whether it’s hard-bound or inside an electronic device, I just love that I have so many books. Sci-fi, young adult, poetry, biography, crime, fantasy- you name it, I have it. The reason I have so many is, well… because I love reading. Every year, the number of books I want to read keeps increasing. This year I plan on reading 60 books. Sounds crazy, but I actually have written it down as a real goal. Both my mom and dad think I’m out of my wits, ironically enough.

Of course, my parents aren’t exactly against my bookworm tendencies. Who wouldn’t want their child to love reading? However, as I was first beginning to realize my love for reading, there was one hard lesson I learned from my father that completely morphed this beloved hobby of mine. “You’ve been forgetting something. It’s a book you ought to read every day.”

Forgetting to read

If there was one book that I’d completely neglected on the shelves, it was the book that never should have been neglected in the first place. It was the Book of Mormon. At the time my father said that to me, I felt an incredible sense of embarrassment mixed in with a good amount of guilt. Looking back, I’m grateful that my father lovingly reminded me of the one book that I should be reading the most, the Book of Mormon.

Sometimes, our lives can be filled with a gigantic amount of other “books” to read. In other words, we can grow so busy with our own lists of things to do, that we neglect the importance of reading, pondering and studying the Book of Mormon each day. You might not forget to read this sacred book for the same reason I did- because I was busy reading other books. But it is important that we are aware of our tendency to forget, when we sometimes seem to be buried in other responsibilities, jobs and problems that hog all of our attention.

The Book of Mormon

What is it about the Book of Mormon that makes it such a priority to read every day?

At his last General Conference our late prophet, President Monson, spoke and bore his short and sweet testimony about this great book. He explained that there is a “critical need we have as members of this Church to study, ponder, and apply its teachings in our lives.” He added, “The importance of having a firm and sure testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.”

With all the evil that surrounds us, the Book of Mormon is a beacon of safety and a source of protection from the temptations, evils and sins that are prevalent in the world today. President Monson promised that if we prayerfully read, ponder and study this sacred book every day, “we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.”

Seek ye out the best books

The reason I love reading so much is the amount of knowledge that I receive by doing so. Little did I know that studying and reading the Book of Mormon each day would give me not only knowledge, but spiritual realizations, life lessons, protection and comfort in times of difficulty. Now, I truly love reading the Book of Mormon. It has been the best book that I’ve ever read in my life, and I will never stop reading, studying and living the precious truths that are contained in it.

Elder Ian S. Ardern said, “we are under scriptural mandate to seek “out of the best books words of wisdom” and to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118).” Just like Nephi, may we always have a “soul [that] delighteth in the scriptures, and [a] heart that pondereth them… for [our] learning and profit.” (2 Nephi 4:15)