Blessings of Scripture Study

I'm halfway through a fourteen-week institute class as part of BYU Idaho's Pathway program. I chose to participate in the Pathway program mostly because it's an affordable way to continue my education. Like many women, I put off my higher education for a time in favor of marriage and children. About ten years ago, I finally started to complete courses and work toward earning a college degree. At that time, my family responsibilities as a mother of five young children and our financial situation meant that I could only take a couple of classes each semester. And I was always hustling for scholarships! After four years of work I earned my associate's degree and decided to take a break from education and, without my meaning it to, that break stretched to five years away from formal education.

Pathway is a three-semester program that consists of two classes each semester. The program combines online academic learning and religious education. There are three religion classes in addition to a life skills class, an English class, and a math class. This semester my academic course is Life Skills so I've been learning about goals, time management, budgeting, and family relationships. I'm wondering why I can't skip this program and just start with the regular BYUI courses. My life skills are actually pretty good, thank you very much. 

In all honesty, I resisted enrolling in Pathway for over a year because of pride. It felt, and in some ways still feels, like a step backward in my educational journey because I have already completed several college math and writing courses while working toward my associate's degree. Why should I start over with courses that would likely cover topics and skills I'd already learned? Why can I not just enroll in BYUI courses through their online degree programs without first completing what feels like a remedial program? But I'm a practical person and the financial benefits of this low-cost program are too great for me to deny.

So yeah, I'm still kind of on the fence about Pathway being a good fit for me, but I am really enjoying the Institute class. It's like seminary but without the early mornings! Each week I get to read a big chunk from the Book of Mormon and then that content is enhanced with talks, chapters from the Institute Manual, and video clips from General Conference talks. It's kind of tricky doing this more in-depth studying while also accepting President Nelson's invitation to read the entire Book of Mormon before the end of the year. In my personal reading I'm at the beginning of Alma, in class we're coming to the end of 2nd Nephi, and as a family, we've just begun to read Helaman. It takes some concentration to keep three different stories straight in my mind and not, for example, mix up what I'm reading with Jared and the girls with what I'm reading for my school assignments. 

I can really see the benefits of consistent scripture study instead of simply reading the scriptures.  I'm feeling the Spirit more than ever, I have more love for the people around me, and I feel mentally clear.  If you haven't yet accepted President Nelson's invitation to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year and mark passages that refer to the Savior, I'd encourage you to do it. It's not too late to get started and the blessings are well worth the effort.