Sharing Time:

Let Every Man Esteem His Neighbor

By Virginia Pearce

“There should be an equality among all men; That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself” (Mosiah 27:3–4).

Laura was looking out the window when she heard Sister Warren say, “Laura, can you guess from the clues I’ve just given whom we will learn about in our lesson today?”

Rob started to laugh. “Perfect little Laura wasn’t listening!” he teased.

Laura could feel her face getting hot. She whirled around and faced Rob. “Even when you do listen, you never know any answers!” she snapped.

When Primary was over, Sister Warren asked Laura and Rob to stay for a moment. She wrote “Mosiah 27:3–4” on two small pieces of paper. She handed one to each of the children, saying, “During King Mosiah’s reign, a strict command was given to all the church members. Will you find out what it was? Then I’d like both of you to read this scripture aloud to the Primary next week.”

Laura found the scripture and read it carefully. The parts she understood best were: “There should be an equality among all men” and “every man should esteem his neighbor as himself.”

Laura thought about Rob. She had been unkind. Sometimes she thought she was a better person than Rob because she usually knew the right answers.

When Rob read the scriptures in his Book of Mormon, he knew that making fun of Laura had been wrong. He felt bad when he remembered how embarrassed she had been. At Primary the next week, Sister Warren began by saying, “Did you know that there are over five billion people who live in this world right now? Did you know that every single one of them is different? Heavenly Father created each person and loves everyone.

“When we treat each other with respect, honor, and love, we are showing reverence for Heavenly Father. We must be courteous and kind to every person, even those who may seem to be very different from us.”

Then the class played a game called “We Are Different.” When the game was over, Sister Warren asked Laura and Rob to read the scriptures in Mosiah to the Primary. Then Sister Warren said, “Some of you may have noticed how courteous Laura and Rob were as they helped you play this game. Their example helps us see how treating all people with respect is a good way to show reverence for Heavenly Father and Jesus.”

Sharing Time Ideas

1. Divide the children into groups, giving each group one of the following scriptures: Matthew 7:1–3 [Matt. 7:1–3], Luke 6:31, John 13:34, 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 [1 Cor. 13:4–5], Ephesians 4:32 [Eph. 4:32], Mosiah 27:4, Doctrine and Covenants 38:24–25 [D&C 38:24–25], Doctrine and Covenants 42:38 [D&C 42:38]. Invite each group to discuss the meaning of its scripture and think of a specific application for it in their lives.

2. Discuss a few rules of courtesy relevant to your culture. Describe everyday situations that happen within the family or at church. Ask several different children to role-play the situations, having the rest of the children identify and tell about ways to make the interactions among the people courteous and respectful.

3. Teach the song “We Are Different.” (See page 11.) Each time you sing it, choose a set of children who are different in obvious ways (color of hair, height, age) to come to the front. After you have sung the song, find ways that the children are the same.

Instructions

You can play the same game that Sister Warren’s class played. Answer the questions above for yourself, then ask another person the same questions. You will learn about the ways you are different and about the ways you may be the same. It would be fun to ask the questions to someone you don’t know very well.

WE ARE DIFFERENT

Name: ____________________________________________

Where were you born? ____________________________________________

How many brothers and sisters do you have? ____________________________________________

What is your favorite food? ____________________________________________

Have you ever broken a bone or had an operation? _________________________ Tell about it. ____________________________________________

Have you ever felt lonely or left out? _________________________ When? ____________________________________________

What do you like to do when you are alone? ____________________________________________

What do you like to do with other people? ____________________________________________

How many answers were the same? How many were different? Learning about others helps us to respect, honor, and love them more. It is a good way to show reverence for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Illustrated by Julie Young