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.

Choose

2 Nephi 2

v. 28  "And now, my son, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of the Holy Spirit."  (emphasis added)

I like the sequence of that verse.  Look to Christ.  See what He did during his life and ministry.  He set the example.  Learn of Him.  Then hearken to His commandments.  Listen to the counsel He gave during His ministry.  Let His teachings sink into your heart.  And then choose.  Choose to follow Him.  Choose to obey.

How interesting that merely three days into this experiment, I have come upon an opportunity to apply what I'm learning.  We had a minor incident in the neighborhood.  You know, the kind that neighborhoods always have.  And it's not the first time we've had a problem with this particular family.  I feel perfectly justified in my emotions towards them.  The little boy was mean.  I don't like the parents.  I don't like the way they handled things the last time, and I don't like how it's being handled now.  Surely, I can puff my chest out in righteous indignation and feel superior.  Seriously, I'm that sure I'm right about all this.

And yet... I know by how I'm feeling that I'm not handling it right.  I'm not being a peacemaker.  I'm not "loving [my] neighbor."  I'm not forgiving seventy times seven.  I'm certainly not loving my enemies.

There are things I can do immediately that will soothe hurt feelings just a little bit, just enough to not let this boil over into the entire neighborhood.  But I know that, for this experiment to work, I need to go beyond that.  I need to learn to forgive and to change the way I feel about them.  I need to put into practice the most basic of Christ's teachings.

Ah, humility.  It's a hard thing to learn, isn't it?