I'm not afraid to follow the Savior.

"Come follow me, the Savior said.

Then let us in His footsteps tread,

For thus alone, can we be one

With God's own loved, begotten Son."

This excerpt from the well-known hymn is how Elder Oaks chose to begin his General Conference talk "Followers of Christ."

He also said, "Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places."

The commitment to follow Christ even in dire circumstances has been the topic of conversation over the last few mornings as we've been following Alma and Amulek's trials in the mission field.  

We read in Alma 14 about how the people wanted to destroy Alma and Amulek, and how after these missionaries had taught such beautiful doctrines to them, the wicked people gathered all who believed in Christ--and their holy scriptures--and cast them into a fire.

We then talked about what we might do in a similar situation.  Would we stand and be counted as a follower of Christ, regardless of the consequences?   Would we follow the Spirit to enable us to know when to speak and when to be silent, as Alma and Amulek did? 

We might not be asked to die for our beliefs in Christ, but when the time comes will we be brave enough to stand up for his doctrines, when doing so is unpopular and might cost us socially, financially, or otherwise?  Just thinking about these possible situations causes even the firmest among us to shrink...and me to shudder.

But, hey, there are lots of things that we are afraid of around here...ghosts, spooky things in the closet, thunder and lightning...the dark.  It's ok to be scared of some things, but we decided together that no matter what scares us in life, we won't be afraid to follow the Savior...and that when we DO what he says, we don't really need to be afraid of anything at all.

More often than not, it's doing the little things the Lord asks that can require real courage.  The key is in the "doing."

I hope that my little charges will always remember our mantra, "I'm not afraid to follow the Savior!"

Click on the links below to find the other General Conference Review Lessons:

I'm not afraid to follow the Savior - Elder Oaks

Catch the Wave - Elder Nelson

His Doctrine Will Not Change - Elder Hales

Fan the Flame of Your Faith - Elder Holland

Stay in Condition - President Packer

A Christ-centered Home - Elder Scott

The Importance of a Body - Elder Bednar

With Christ, Darkness Cannot Succeed - President Uchtdorf

"Eye" Will Be Tolerant as Well as Kind - President Monson