Another way...

A few weeks ago I described the "throwing rocks at cars" incident. Also around this same time I was asked to give a lesson in church. I had been studying the material to be able to present it well so in my mind, after the rocks incident, I realized it could have been handled another way.   Lots of other ways actually but the better way came to my mind and made me feel humbled.

The lesson I was preparing was entitled "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself." It is full of inspirational quotes and advice from George Albert Smith, the eighth president of our church. He was known as a very loving man and regarded all persons on the earth as his brothers and sisters, no matter what their walk of life.

As I was driving home after the rocks incident, the idea of this quote -- since I didn't have it memorized -- came to my mind, but I'll just print the quote: "I know some that I wish would behave themselves a little better than they do, but that is their loss, not mine...You cannot drive people to do things which are right, but you can love them into doing them, if your example is of such a character that they can see you mean what you say."

I thought of how this loving man would have handled the situation. He probably would have also exited his vehicle but then he would have called the girls over and had a kind chat with them. They would have left feeling like they wanted to behave better, not because someone was angry with them but because they felt loved and cared for.

There is always a better way to behave and react if we remember to be like Christ. Since I'm an imperfect human being I will not always remember to act in a better way than my gut reaction tells me to do, but I hope that this experience will remind me more often than not that there is another way.