“To Be More Like Christ,” Friend, Feb. 2001, 36
To Be More Like Christ
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught (Children’s Songbook, page 79).
Several years ago, an elderly sister in my branch passed away. Everyone called her Abuelita (Grandma) Flores. At her funeral, I noticed that some of her family who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were sobbing. My mom explained that they probably thought that they would never see Abuelita Flores again. I don’t like to see people suffer. I told my mom, “When I grow up and marry in the temple, I will have a daughter and I will call her Abuelita Flores so that they won’t cry anymore.” I believe that trying to comfort people who are sad brings us closer to being like Christ.
I have an illness called miastenia gravis. I also have attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. Because of these things, I act differently than other children. Lots of people don’t understand, and many don’t even try.
Children in my school often want to hit me, but I don’t fight with them. Recently I began learning karate—for my health, I am supposed to get exercise. My schoolmates want me to teach them—or at least demonstrate—the different karate moves and techniques. I always say no, because I’m not learning them in order to fight but to gain discipline and the values that come with it. I want to be able to defend myself if I have to, but I never look for a fight. Jesus Christ always taught with calmness and love. Avoiding contention makes me more like Him.