what is a squiggle?

According to fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Hill, a squiggle is a beginning point, a small, wiggly line on a page with the potential to become something more--a brilliantly drawn fifth-grade picture!



A beginning point. A silly phrase from my preschooler, my teenager rolling his eyes, or my kindergartner deleting my entire 3rd chapter...



Showing posts with label Nephites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nephites. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2011

Scripture Squiggle: Helaman 6:4-5

"And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did come down into the land of Zarahemla, and did declare unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their conversion, and did exhort them to faith and repentance.
"Yea, and many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb."

New converts to the Church always seem to have an inner fire when it comes to sharing the Gospel with others. I've seen that same drive in primary children and youth. So what happens to those of us born into the Church? Where is our urge to share our precious knowledge with others? Did we have it as children, and then lose it as we grew up? What is it that changes within us?

I think the answer is charity. As children, we hadn't yet learned that people can be cruel. We trusted everyone, played with anyone. But as we grew, we learned that some people weren't worthy of our trust. We began to approach everyone with distrust. So we lost our desire to be in the celestial kingdom with everyone, and really only wanted to be there with the ones we love and care about.

However, when we begin to feel Christ-like love for those around us, we overcome those feelings of distrust, and feel again a desire to share the gospel. We can pray for missionary experiences and opportunities all we want, but until we truly care about the people we meet or associate with, we give the Lord very little to work with.

The converted Lamanites mentioned in Helaman loved their brethren the Nephites with the love of Christ. It brought them from the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla, a long journey, to share their conversion stories and preach the gospel. They could have said, "The'll never change. They've become too wicked." But they didn't judge; they only loved. And in doing so, brought many Nephites back to the fold.


Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Scripture Squiggle: Mosiah 25:11

"And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls."

King Mosiah had just finished reading the records of Zeniff and the account of Alma and his followers after they fled from King Noah. The people of King Mosiah experienced mixed emotions over what they heard. This verse shows their sorrow over the Lamanites. Yes, the Lamanites are their brethren, but they are also their enemies. Yet, the Nephites were not merely sad about the Lamanites' sinfulness, they were "filled with pain and anguish." I know I'm not usually very bothered when I hear that bad things have happened to bad people, or even to someone I don't particularly like. Usually, at these times, I hear that inner voice that tells me I'm a better person and they deserve what they got.

These Nephites were true followers of Jesus; they had charity. Instead of allowing the Lamanites' wickedness to make them feel better about themselves and justify any actions they had to take in defending themselves against them, they worried over their souls, fearing for their eternal salvation.