“Meek the Choice,” New Era, Nov. 2018, 26–29.
Meek the Choice
The meek way or the world’s way—you choose.
Life can be hard sometimes, and when those hard moments hit, it can be easy to get offended or angry or even say things we don’t really mean. Feeling peaceful or happy when bad things happen is definitely a challenge.
But if we take a step back, we realize that the Savior would always respond compassionately even in tough times. The Savior is meek, and He is the perfect example to everyone who has ever lived! Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught: “Meekness is vital for us to become more Christlike. Without it we won’t be able to develop other important virtues.”1
With that in mind, it’s easy to see that meekness is quite the powerful trait! One thing’s for sure: If we choose to be meek in our small and not-so-small choices each day, it brings us closer to being more like the Savior. He can then fill our lives with happiness, light, and goodness—even when we’re facing difficult trials. Meekness is truly a key to progressing and enjoying life to the fullest! As Doctrine and Covenants 19:23 teaches, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.”
On this tree, you will find different challenging scenarios. Think about how you would respond if you found yourself in one of these situations! Would you respond in the world’s way—Or the meek way?
The Worlds Way or the Meek Way?
Illustrations by Ben Simonsen
You failed your math test because you didn’t study.
The world’s way: Blame the teacher for making the test too hard and complain about it to your friends.
The meek way: Learn from your mistakes and make a goal to study better next time.
You find out your good friend spread a nasty rumor about you behind your back.
The world’s way: Start a rumor about your friend so she knows how it feels.
The meek way: Calmly talk to your friend, try to understand why she spread the rumor, and work together to solve the problem.
You hear a classmate saying something bad about the Church.
The world’s way: Get offended and quickly try to prove him wrong!
The meek way: Pray for help and rely on the Spirit to help you respond the way God wants you to.
You wake up early on Saturday morning only to find out that your friend is sick, so you can’t go on the hike you were both planning for all month.
The world’s way: Mope around all day feeling bad about your cancelled plans.
The meek way: Visit your friend and bring along some ice cream or a favorite board game to lift your friend’s spirits.
You go in your room and find your little brother snooping through your stuff even though he’s not supposed to be in there.
The world’s way: Get angry and chase him out of your room.
The meek way: Before jumping to conclusions, try to understand the situation by kindly asking what he’s doing in your room.
You notice the new kid getting bullied at school.
The world’s way: Steer clear. You don’t want to become a target of bullying too!
The meek way: You realize this kid needs a friend. After saying a quick prayer for courage, you make a real effort to be the friend that’s needed.