Taught.

For those who don't know,
Instead of going to the college ward this summer,
I decided to help my mom out.
And teach a Primary class.
I taught the kids turning 8 and the 8 year olds.
And they seriously have taught me so much.
Their little spirits are so strong.
And they made me realize how simple life is.
And how easy it is to love and cherish life.

Toady was my last lesson.
And the lesson title was "The Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus Christ."
Heavy.
I didn't know if I could teach this to 8 year olds.


The lesson asked us to open up with a story to compare to the kids what Christ's sacrifice is:

On a cold, wintry day an airplane crashed into a bridge in Washington, D.C., and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Many people were killed, but six people hung on to the plane’s tail while men in a helicopter threw them a life preserver. The water was very cold, and it was hard to hang on to the plane. These people were afraid they might die before their turn came to grab the life preserver and be carried to safety.

Every time the rescuers lowered the life preserver to one man, he passed it to someone else so the other person could be rescued first. He did this until everyone else had been rescued, but then he could not hold on any longer. When the helicopter came back to get him, he had slipped under the water. He died before anyone could save him.

• • 
  Why do you think this man kept passing the life preserver to others? How would you feel if you had been one of the people this man had saved?

My little brother was in that class,
And he turned to me and said, "That guy was brave."
And I, the teacher, completely lost it.

There would be no way I could ever do that in my life,
Especially to complete strangers.
I am so selfish. 
I honestly know that unless it was my family in there, I couldn't pass that life preserver on.
And it got me thinking about Christ.

There is no way I could've done what He did.
I could have never suffered through all the pain,
The mocking,
The anger,
The scorning,
The suffering,
Everything He went through the time he was crucified,
For other people.

Jesus Christ is our Savior for a reason.
He had the heart and the courage to do something all of us couldn't.
To suffer for each and every one of us,
So that we could return to heaven one day.

Those little kids have taught me so much these past 4 months:
That  talking bad about people is mean.
That it doesn't matter what everyone thinks of you.
That it doesn't matter if you don't have a boyfriend, as long as you're happy.
But the thing they've taught me most is just how great this gospel is.
How simple it's message is,
But yet, how fulfilling it's blessings are.

I know my Savior died for me.
And you.
Every one of us.
I know He endured everything he did,
So that we could return to Him and Heavenly Father one day.
And I am SO grateful and indebted to Him.
And I love Him so much.
I know this Gospel is true.
I know we are here for a reason.
And I know that life is hard,
And we all make mistakes.
But because of Christ, we can repent,
And start anew.

After I cleaned my act up,
And finished the lesson,
A little girl came up to me,
And told me I was the best teacher,
And she was going to miss me.
Especially since she would be the only girl against all those guys again.
Just to hear she was going to miss me,
It made my day.

Isn't it funny that just like the gospel, the simple, easy, positive things make us the happiest?
..chelle..