I didn't always love it---trying to teach a bunch of little kids can be like herding cats sometimes---but I've learned that I can be a good teacher even if I don't get through my whole lesson. My most important job is to help these kids feel the love of their Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sometimes that means sitting in a circle telling stories of Jesus. Other times, it means listening to a child talk about how she fell off her bike that week and banged her knee. And there are times it means folding six paper airplanes and having an airplane-throwing contest.
Usually, it means doing a bit of all three.
Today I was supposed to teach about Paul the Apostle's journey to Rome. The lesson manual suggested several excellent principles I could share with the class. There's the fact Paul was a faithful missionary despite being thrown in jail for teaching about Jesus; Jesus' visit to Paul in jail to comfort him; Paul's warning to the Roman centurion not to try sailing to Rome at the late time of year and, when the centurion cast off anyway, the resulting shipwreck; Paul's subsequent instructions to the centurion and soldiers to get everyone to safety and how the Romans' obedience saved their lives.
My normal tactic is to prepare a story or activity about every principle recommended by the manual. But today, I felt impressed to focus only on one: Jesus' visit to Paul.
It's interesting to note that Paul had already suffered many trials while preaching of Jesus. He had been stoned, beaten and imprisoned. Up until this point, each time Paul entered into dangerous circumstances he was delivered in some way. In other words, God took him out of the dangerous circumstance.
But this time was different. When Paul made the decision to return to Jerusalem, he seemed to know his days of freedom were numbered. If I understand correctly, Paul remained in Roman custody until his execution around 64 A.D.
This time, Paul wasn't going to be delivered from danger. Instead, his role was to testify of Jesus Christ in Rome, just as he had testified in many other places. While he was imprisoned in Jerusalem, Jesus visited him during the night. He told Paul, "Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." (Acts 23:11)
That phrase, "Be of good cheer," stuck in my mind. I realized I'd read it multiple times in the scriptures:
- When Jesus healed a man sick of the palsy, He said: "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. ... Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." (Matthew 9:2 and 6)
- When Jesus walked on water, He said: "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." (Matthew 14:27)
- When Jesus was explaining to His apostles that He was about to die, He said: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
- When Nephi (of Third Nephi) was praying the night before all the Christians were scheduled to be executed by the unbelievers, Jesus told him: "Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets." (3 Nephi 1:13)
- In 1831, when missionaries were called to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus told them, "And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you." (D&C 61:36)
- In 1832, when Joseph Smith was praying about how to run certain affairs in the church, Jesus told him, "Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along." (D&C 78:18)
I felt I needed to focus on those words in my class, so I put information about each "Be of good cheer" story into a bag and had each child pick a paper one by one. I summarized each story and had the children say the words "Be of good cheer" with me. They seemed to like holding up their pictures of smiley faces and saying, "Be of good cheer!"
I love being with those little kids. They help me to be of good cheer, with their happy smiles, energy, and cute comments.
There are hard things in the world. There's a lot of confusion and sometimes even willful rebellion. But even when things seem dark, we can remember the gospel of Jesus Christ and be of good cheer. As Jesus told the Nephites when He visited them as our resurrected Savior:
Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me ...
Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;
Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
--- 3 Nephi 27:13-14, 21-22
