By their fruits you shall know them

Today I read 3 Nephi 14, the conclusion of the Savior giving the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites. There are many things in this chapter that are worth talking about and pondering on. The one that always stands out to me and stood out today is the Savior's sentiment that you shall know them by their fruits.

Last night at work I was talking to an employee of mine and we were talking together about people and logic and psychology. I maintained that by watching how a person reacts to certain situations, you can know what you need to know about them. He argued that without proper context you cannot draw proper conclusions about said persons. However, I stand by my statement that if you watch people and how they are acting, you can draw certain conclusions about them.

For example, if you watch a mother with her children in a store, any store, and you watch them for more than the brief snippets of time you have when you pass each other in the aisle way, you can gauge what type of parent they are by how they interact with their children. Another example, I work as a Supervisor in a call center for a cable company. I have worked for a cable company in a call center for the past 5 and a half years. You can tell within a few minutes of a call what type of a person you are talking to and know what you need to know about that person. Now, many(far too many) people would argue that it's not fair to do that, those people are angry or they are having a bad day, etc. However, it is when we are angry that we usually let down our shields and just let it all hang out so to speak. What better time to get to know them.

I talk to some people who even when angry maintain their composure and while they may use unkind language they are still in control. I talk to other people some times that unless I knew for a fact they were upset, I would not be able to tell, they are in perfect control of themselves, no coarse language of any kind is being used and if they have children in the background, they are still kind to their children. But unfortunately, the vast majority, have little to no control at all. They totally let their emotions control them and I am called every name in the book you can possibly think of, and sometimes some you have never heard of, all over something as trivial as cable TV or internet. Now again some would argue that it's unfair because we don't know what kind of a day that person had, or any of the other hundred circumstances that led that person to that point that particular day. And again I say that you don't need to. If a person loses their cool that severely and sometimes completely over TELEVISION, I don't want to know how they would react if something truly important went awry in their life.

By seeing how a person reacts in extenuating circumstances, you can understand how they would react in a normal situation. Now, of course EVERYONE loses their cool sometimes. It happens and it's impossible not too. Even I have been known to raise my voice once or twice. But as we strive to become perfect it should happen less and less. We should be learning control over all of our emotions. I really do believe that this is very much a part of the sentiment that by their fruits you may know them. You should be able to identify who is a follower of Christ by how they act, at all times. Would someone be able to glean that from you?

I remember receiving a blessing once where the voice told me that Heavenly Father was pleased with me and that by merely having a pleasant attitude I daily influence people for good and once even influenced a total stranger at a grocery store for the better because I was so happy. Now, the circumstances of my life at that time were such I really needed to hear that. I was having one of those crisis' that come along every once and awhile and needed to be reminded of why I do the things I do. But it had a profound effect on me. I had never thought of my happy attitude as being able to affect anyone, let alone a total stranger. I remember even having a discussion about it with my little brother about how odd that really is because I don't know about you, but when I'm unhappy and see someone who is ridiculously happy, my first thought is usually something sarcastic like, "Well at least SOMEONE is happy!" and it makes me even grouchier. But ever since I heard that, and when people comment on how I am always in a good mood, it makes me strive even harder to be happy all the time and let the light inside of me shine out.

We all have the ability to be a force for good in this life. We can all influence those around us and we do, all the time. Are you influencing for good? If someone did not know a thing about you and saw you in a grocery store, what would they think about you? If someone you didn't know had to deal with you when things weren't going your way, what impression would they take away from that interaction? Are you in control of your emotions? Or do your emotions control you? You will indeed leave an impression on the people you meet, especially when they find out you are LDS, make sure it is a good impression and you too can say that by their fruits they shall come to know you! Until tomorrow.