Becoming More Christlike by Brent L. Top

Author:Brent L. Top
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LDS, clean, inspirational, spiritual, scriptural, nonfiction, guide, goals, change, patiences, perfection
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2017-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5: Living the Golden Rule

Treating Others with Kindness and Consideration

That which the world calls righteousness

I have not any regard for.

To be righteous is to be just and merciful.

If a man fails in kindness, justice, and mercy

he will be damned.

—The Prophet Joseph Smith

I first became acquainted with Joe in the eighth or ninth grade. He had an epileptic seizure in our biology class. The teacher handled things very well and got Joe the help he needed, but the rest of the class was a little shocked by the experience. As is typical with many teenagers, especially when they don’t understand something very well, some of the students refused to sit by Joe or be near him in the halls, because they were afraid that he might have another seizure. There were cruel jokes and merciless teasing behind Joe’s back.

Over the months Joe was ostracized more and more. Not only did he have a physical disorder that made him different from the other kids in school, but he didn’t dress in the most stylish fashions and wasn’t part of the “in crowd.” Joe lived close to me, and some days as I walked to school he would run to catch up to me and ask to walk with me. What could I say? Some of my friends would tease me for being “best friends” with Joe. “If you hang around with him,” they would cruelly say, “you’ll end up having seizures at school too.”

I was always uncomfortable with these mean statements, even if they were done in jest. Yet I was not strong enough to rebuke my friends, nor was I kind enough to really be a friend to Joe. I must admit that sometimes I would try to hide from him so I wouldn’t have to walk to school with him and hear the ribbings of my friends. I didn’t want the “cool” kids to think I was like Joe or that I was hanging out with him. I wasn’t mean to Joe like the others, but neither was I very caring about him. I guess I have to admit that I merely tolerated his walking to school with me.

A few years later, when we were in high school, Joe had a serious seizure and was hospitalized. He became ill with some life-threatening complications. I didn’t know anything about his condition until one day after seminary class, when my teacher asked me to stay after to talk to him. I thought I was in trouble. Brother Risenmay told me that Joe was seriously ill in the hospital and that he thought it would be nice for some of the kids from school to go visit him.

“Why are you asking me? I hardly know Joe,” I said to my seminary teacher.

“He said that he only had one friend in the whole school,” Brother Risenmay continued. “And he said that that only friend is you, Brent.”

I was so totally shocked that I didn’t know what to say for several minutes. I just sat there and shook my head.

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