THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS (Part 5)

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)

For more than forty years Amul had spent his days on this same hill with the sheep. Each morning he called them to the hills and each eventide he bedded them in the sheepfold. This morning’s sunrise had given no forewarning of the events which would fill this day’s hours. As always, some of the young lambs had bounced and frolicked away from the ewes. A tender crook had returned them to the safety of the flock and gently reminded them of the concerns of their shepherd who was ever diligent with his watching. Although it was somewhat unusual for the clouds to form this time of year, Amul, with little care guided his flock to the tender grasses of spring.

Life on the hills of Bethlehem had given Amul ample opportunity to sort through the puzzling mysteries of life. No longer did the uneasiness which had brought wonder and doubt during the passion driven era of his youth cause him to suffer the pangs of impatience about the many unanswered queries which filled his heart and mind. As the years passed his quests had little by little been changed by the putting on of a gentler nature. He spent the nights in the companionship of his beloved Sarah. Her love had come to be his comfort and a healing balm during the trials that on occasion beset them. His sons delighted in their studies and daily showed increased sensitivity to the teachings of Jehovah and Moses. Only the ancient Job could have enjoyed daughters of greater warmth and beauty than Anna and Elizabeth. His expectations of life had altered over the decades and he now desired only that he might be recognized as one who was a loving husband, a devoted father, one who served Jehovah through his just dealings in the market place and as a shepherd who dutifully tended his flocks.

As that day passed Amul’s concern grew to confusion as with each passing hour the skies darkened and the winds heightened. In such weather the sheep would normally be nervous and the hills would be filled with their anxious bleating. Strangely, this day as the tempest worsened, the flocks remained calm and grazed in tranquility.

Once before Amul had witnessed the wonders of heaven meet with the wonders of earth, on these very hills. When but a boy he had stood with his hand grasping that of his father, listening as the skies were filled with the sound of angels singing, proclaiming with anthemed voices that the Savior and Redeemer, prophesied of old, was to be born that night. Those wondrous sights, those wondrous sounds, though they had happened when he was still a boy and not as yet passed the rights of manhood, had so seared his heart that his mind was still emblazoned with the sight of the sheep lifting their heads to hear the heavenly voices.

That night Amul had attentively listened as his father related the scene to his mother and remembered him describing the cherished moment as one where he felt his body was filled with sweetness and love.

On this day the heavens seemed filled with anger and violence. But as he gazed on the sheep he witnessed that they were once again lifting their moistened heads as if waiting to hear a heaven-sent message. Then it happened, something eternal stirred deep within Amul’s soul and he sensed that the Savior born in Bethlehem was now showering mankind with His love by fulfilling the uttermost part of His earthly mission.

With bowed head Amul pondered the ancient words his father had taught him from the sacred scrolls. Peace filled his heart and as the storm raged, he lifted his head so that heaven-sent moisture filled his eyes. He then saw the whole, understood the purpose of eternity, and felt clean and pure. Then dropping to his knees, he bowed amid his flocks in reverent, thankful prayer as the sweet love of the Savior filled his soul.

Enos who had lived centuries before Amul and whose life was separated not only by time but also by a vast ocean described his own experience in these words:

And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and cried in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I Enos knew that God could not lie; wherefore my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen… wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole. And it came to pass when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren the Nephites…My faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites. (Enos 4-11)

From the testimonies of the centuries we learn that the natural result of having the sweet love of the Savior fill one’s heart, mind and soul will move them to place their feet upon the lane where love becomes the mover and mainstay of relationships.