Book of Mormon: Day 210: Love Thy Neighbor -

Today’s Reading: Alma 35

9 And {the chief ruler of the Zoramites} breathed out many threatenings against them. And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants.
(emphasis added)

“Now the people of Ammon did not fear their words.” How many of us are afraid of what others think of us? I am. Unfortunately, I’ve always got that thought in the back of mind. Over the years I’ve been working on it more and more. Who cares what other people think! Right? We need to do what we love and be who we are and stop letting others dictate what we do, how we think, and how we dress.

More importantly, the people of Ammon were not afraid of the threats they were receiving for taking in the refugees of the Zoramites. Despite the threats they received from their leaders, and the whispers and looks they probably got from family and friends, they stayed true to the second great commandment of loving their neighbors as themselves.

I am personally on the fence of how I feel about taking in refugees. I feel for them. I can’t imagine nor do I want to imagine the awful situation that they are in, fleeing from their countries. But I can’t help being afraid of what could happen. That maybe one of them is lying and isn’t really a refugee but is looking for a way into our country to harm us later down the road. I have been struggling with these thoughts for a long time now and haven’t quite known what to do.

The people who lived in Jershon had no fear. They took in all of the poor Zoramites and clothed, fed, and gave them land so they could learn to be independent. The people of Ammon who lived in Jershon are amazing examples of what it means to ‘love thy neighbor’ and to give of ‘true Christian service’.

The sweetness of true Christian service is often experienced in obscurity—in quiet rooms in homes and hospitals and places of confinement, in military barracks and refugee camps, and in other places far from public attention. Usually it is unheralded, but it reflects the standard set by the Savior for those who will “inherit the kingdom prepared … from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 25:34.) These are they who serve the hungry and the thirsty and the naked and the homeless and those who are sick or imprisoned, and who do this after the pattern and in the spirit of him who said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40.) To those who so serve he promised eternal life (see Matt. 25:46), while to those who fail to minister to the needy he said, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matt. 25:45.) {i}

When I first read through this chapter, at 5am while feeding my daughter, there wasn’t really anything that stuck out to me other than the phrase ‘now the people of Ammon did not fear’. I was completely dumbfounded and wondered if there was anything in this chapter worth expounding upon. Then after a cat-nap, some pondering during my workout, and a silent prayer pleading for help on what to focus on, an answer to a prayer from months ago came. This block of scripture is what I needed to read and this is what I need to share.

Regardless of our own personal thoughts and opinions about refugees, we need to have no fear and trust in the Lord and love our new neighbors.