Shiblon is your typical middle child. He gets one chapter while his older brother, Helaman, and his younger, rebellious brother, Corianton, get multiple chapters of advice from their father. I'm just kidding. As a middle child, I had to throw that in. But seriously, Shiblon is a faithful man, who was a great help to his father during their mission to the Zoramites. He will not take his father's place in keeping the sacred records as Helaman will, nor does he need remonstrating and deep teaching as Corianton, who became "distracted" by the harlot Isabel during the afore mentioned mission. It says in verse 10 that Shiblon is a teacher of the word, and Alma hopes that he continues teaching in diligence and temperance.
There are many little gems in this short chapter, but today the one that jumps out at me is Alma's advice in verse 12:
"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."All of that advice is sound, but the interesting one to me is "bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love." I have been thinking lately about something similar, but switched around. I have been thinking that maybe if I have love--more specifically--charity, then perhaps that will help me to bridle my passions. Perhaps if love is the main thing I concentrate on during my interactions with others, anger won't get the better of me quite so often. Spikes of frustration as the results of others actions will be smoothed and bothersome occurrences will be put in their proper place. Petty judgments laid on others around me will be shoved aside as I strive to view them as my Savior sees them. I suppose this may be an instance much like the chicken and the egg, but one thing is for sure: bridling your passions has something to do with love, no matter which one comes first.
No comments:
Post a Comment