Ask a Beehive

By Mandi Meecham, age 12 | Draper Southeast Stake, 34th Ward

Q: We’re told we should read the scriptures every day. After a recent sacrament meeting talk when our bishop encouraged us to do so, I set a goal to finally get through the Isaiah parts of the Book of Mormon. But those chapters are really hard! What should I do to keep up and not get lost or bored?

—Margaret Fulsom, realtor

A: Dude, I feel your pain. My dad just got called to the high council and the stake president ripped him a new one for not holding family scripture study every day and so he came home sweating and was all, “Kids, we are reading the scriptures every day at six o’clock in the morning and that’s final!” Um, hello! Six in the A.M??? I am so completely comatose then, and plus, how harsh can that be when school is over? Could he be any more Hitler? I was all, “Dad, take a Zanax or something. That’s sooo not going to happen.” So he said he’d buy me a sweet little Cabriolet when I turn sixteen if I am on time to scripture study every day between now and then. I’m stoked about that because there’s no way Dad will have the energy to keep this going for longer than like six weeks. He will for sure have gotten over this guilt trip by the time school starts. And until then, I can always go back to bed after scripture study. Plus, adversity is good for the soul. Getting up so early totally makes me understand what the pioneers went through.

So we’re reading Second Nephi, and it is way Looney Tunes. Like what was Isaiah’s deal? He seems like this total pill who has serious issues with women who wear jewelry. Dad read in chapter 13 this morning a weird part that said, “Don’t you women even think about wearing tinkling ornaments, and round tires, and chains, and mufflers, and tablets, and mantles, and blah blah blah.” And I said, “Dude, what the? Is he talking about women or cars?” and my brother Braxton said, “Or Christmas trees?” and we totally cracked up. Mom opened her can of “You kids need to respect the gospel!” Yeah, okay, Mom, here’s the 411: if Isaiah could have laid off the wine a little and just written what he meant, in plain English, then maybe Brax and I could pay attention better.