Learning of Jesus Christ

Alma 18

I wonder what it would be like to hear of Jesus Christ for the first time.  I can not remember a time in my life where I did not know Him.  I was taught in my home and at church from the time I was but a toddler.  Ours has always been a Christ-centered home.

What if it had been different?  What if I had led my life not knowing him at all?  Growing up, playing with friends, going to school, fighting with my siblings -- all the normal things and stages we go through in this life -- but minus Christ in my life.

I can't imagine making it through the trials I did without knowing He was there, loving me.  I can't imagine making it through the darkness of teenage years without being able to cry out for help.  I can't imagine getting married without the peaceful reassurance of the Spirit that this was the one for me.  I can't imagine figuring out those early married years on my own.  I can't imagine -- and I cringe at the thought -- trying to raise my children in this world without His help.  And I can't imagine making it through day after day of this chronic illness without His comfort, His love, His succor.

What a remarkable moment it must have been for King Lamoni to discover that he had a Savior who loved him so much He had died for him.  And then to try the experiment, to call upon the Lord for forgiveness of His sins, and to discover with a full knowledge that Ammon's words were true.  Yes, I can see how overwhelming it would be.  I can see how one might lose strength and be carried away for a period of time.