Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Probably one of the most used phrases and pieces of advice given to people, but do we always remember to do it? Sometimes the message can seem quite straightforward, but what about those small exceptions we sometimes make. One example is found in Mosiah Chapter 7  where Ammon and 15 others are traveling in the wilderness in search of the people of Lehi-Nephi to make sure they were still alive and well, having not heard from them in a very long time. Upon arriving in the land, instead of receiving a warm welcome as they were most likely expecting, they were immediately seized by the guards without any questioning and were cast into prison for two days. After being in prison for the two days, the king brought them before him and asked why they came into his land. Upon learning who they were and where they came from, the king rejoiced at the reunion! They were even able to help the king out a lot with various different things that wouldn't have been possible without them. 

So before we judge someone, make sure we understand who they are and why they do what they do before we begin to make assumptions. It is very easy to label someone by how they look, or what they do.

 Here is a little modern day example of this, I think you will be as shocked as I am to see what talents he has! 

Good enough?

Have you ever been at a point in life where you are just happy and everything is going well. I would guess that we have all been there at points. We have all been content with one thing or another in our lives. It is easy to get lazy when life is going well. I know that I am more willing to work to improve my situation when it is below my normal comfort level. But is this how life should be? Should we content?

Look at professional athletes of all kinds, do they settle for staying the same and continuing to maintain the level that they are playing at? Or do they continually practice and improve their already above average talents? Will a car manufacturer who just made one of the top cars on the market quit making cars and call it good since they are on top? Or will they continue to find ways to improve their product and make an even better one?

The world keeps pressing forward and improving, even if it is already in a good spot. We should have that same urgency to continually press forward and continue our spiritual progression. There is always room for improvement and growth, especially in the Gospel. Our only comparisons we should make in this life are comparing our current state to our past to see which direction we are going in, and comparing our lives to the life of our Savior to see how much farther we have to go.

We cannot be exactly like Christ in this life, but the whole goal is to try with every ounce of being that we posses to live a life as close as humanly possible to what Christ would do if he were in our very shoes. If we are content with where we are at, we are missing the opportunity to grow, learn, and progress towards our goal, ETERNAL LIFE.

Remember the words of Nephi when he said, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20 emphasis added)

Keep going, keep pushing, it will ALL be worth it.