I remember playing teachers quorum basketball when I was 14 or 15, and it was a particularly bad game.
Everything was happening in slow motion for me that Saturday morning.
Our regular coach was not at the game. A quorum counselor was there instead. Sports didn’t seem to appeal to him. So I didn’t expect much from him until he called timeout after what felt like my 100th turnover in the first few minutes of the game.
He jumped off the stage, which was a bench next to the basketball court. He immediately walked up to me and quietly asked if I knew what was going on. I gave a poor explanation, but he listened. As I stammered out my frustrating thoughts, he pointed to the spot on the court where I had turned the ball over. He asked me what I did in the second second after stealing it. I told him I didn’t remember.
Then he did exactly what he saw me do. He said he was doing the same thing every time I made a mistake in that match.
He pretended to be robbed of the ball, then held out his hands and shook his head in disbelief. He quickly turned towards the opponent’s basket and put his hands on his hips as he imagined the other team making a layup.
I looked in the mirror at his actions and laughed.
He laughed and said it would look funnier if I did it.
Then he said something that has been important to me ever since, both on the court and in other aspects of life.
“We react so much, we react so emphatically that we forget to act,” he said.
He said he would probably lose the ball again. But I was told that the next time the same thing happened, I would have one second to catch up to the person who stole the ball and get it back.
He taught me to act instead of react.
I’m not saying that that game was a complete turnaround or that we won. It took time to break the reactionary and bad habits.
The same thing can happen to us as we act and react to the challenges we face in life.
gossip? Reactionary.
Harmful memes and text messages? Reactionary.
Do you make a lot of hand gestures? Reactionary.
Bad language? Reactionary.
Road rage? Reactionary.
On the contrary, acting requires intention. You need to choose what you want to happen and work to make it happen.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus frequently taught the value of acting in ways that help individuals move forward.
In Matthew 5:44 the Savior said: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you unjustly and persecute you.”
He doesn’t seem to have room to love after talking back. He did not try to do good deeds while holding a grudge. love. Please do something good. pray. None of these are reactions. They are separate intentional actions.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he asked the Father to forgive the soldiers and not to retaliate.
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Jesus said in Luke 23:34.
Yet Jesus was willing to die on the cross.
The Savior did not remain dead, as prophesied and revealed as part of the plan of salvation.
He rose from the dead with a resurrected body. he won’t lose.
After His resurrection, Jesus did not go to those responsible for His death to seek retribution. He went to his disciples to continue teaching. He went teaching people all over the world. While in the Americas, Jesus continued to teach love over anger and hostility.
“This is not my doctrine,” said the Lord in 3 Nephi 11:30, “to stir up the hearts of men against one another to anger.” “But it is my doctrine that such things should be abolished.”
One chapter later, in 3 Nephi 12:20, the Savior said: “Come to me, and you will be saved.”
This Easter season, as we commemorate the Savior’s love for all of our Heavenly Father’s children, may we remember that invitation and receive the eternal victory that only God can give.
— John Ryan Jensen is the editor of Church News.
