There once was a large family full of boys.
At dinner time, the boys with the longer reach were able to grab the most food.
But the family realized that this was bringing a lot of contention.
Greed from the older boys, and resentment from the younger boys.
And so they counseled together and came up with a solution:
Each boy had to keep at least one foot on the floor when they reached for more food.
This led to a fun way to eliminate contention.
President Nelson (who shared a version of the above story) counseled:
“My concern is that contention is becoming accepted as a way of life. From what we see and hear in the media, the classroom, and the workplace, all are now infected to some degree with contention.”
He said that in… 1989.
I think it’s powerful to notice two things:
First, contention is literally from the devil.
He will try anything to get us to avoid the first two great commandments – to love God, and to love others.
But the second lesson is much more hopeful:
Rooting out contention starts at home.
The parents of the boys at the table didn’t let the contention stay. They didn’t throw up their hands and say, “Boys will be boys!”
They modeled and encouraged their sons to find a way to solve the problem in unity, while getting rid of contention.
I believe fully and completely that we can stand up for the things we believe in, point out injustice, discuss various opinions, and be powerful forces for good, without needing any contention.
And how did our Savior teach the people to turn away from this evil attitude?
“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Nephi 11:29)
Of course, the answer is to turn to Jesus Christ.
He is the one who shows us the true worth of others, who wants us to feel nothing but love for the people we interact with every day.
But we have to try – we have to want it.
We have to ask our Savior to remove all contention from our hearts. And then we can receive.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
