King Benjamin and A Lot of Tents

Mosiah 1-6

Mosiah 5:12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

Mosiah’s son’s name was Benjamin. Benjamin became the king and so people called him King Benjamin. We don’t know too much about his life but we know he was humble. And because he was humble, he was happy. And he wanted all his people to be happy too. And so before he died, he decided he needed to teach everyone how to be humble and happy.

We would normally write a definition of humility for you here. But it’s very hard to say what humility is. So while we can’t give you a simple definition, we can talk a lot about what humility is not.

Humility, an un-definition

Have you ever seen someone who is sad and crying? You might not know what to do or how to make them happy. Maybe they want a hug, maybe they want space, maybe they want you to walk away, maybe they want you to sit close by. It’s hard to know. But it’s easy to make a list of things you should not do. Don’t run up and pull their hair, or laugh, or yell, or call them names.

It is the same with humility. Humility is not angry. Humility does not feel ownership. If you say, “Give it to me, that’s mine,” that’s not humility. Humility does not try to control people. If you feel you deserve something, that’s not humility. If you feel you should have something instead of someone else, that’s not humility, either.

And because it is so hard to know what humility is and does and looks like, Benjamin decided to gather everyone, so that he could teach them. And so everyone stopped working and cleaning and took a camping trip together. They did a quick load of laundry, packed their clothes and tents in backpacks, and walked to a large field next to a tall tower where Benjamin would speak. Each family set up their tents in front of the tower. And as more and more people came, they had to set up tents further and further away. Soon there were so many tents it was like waves on the ocean.

And everyone was excited about this camping trip, not because they were going to roast marshmallows, but because they were going to finally learn how to be humble and happy. That might sound boring to you, but Benjamin said such beautiful and exciting things that in the end, everyone agreed that it was better than marshmallows and s’mores.

And this is what he taught.

He said, “The first step in being humble is being honest.” This seems simple, but it is very easy for us to be dishonest. We can be dishonest with others, that’s called lying. But more often we are dishonest with ourselves, and that’s called pride. And pride is the opposite of humility.

Have you ever given a doggie toy to a dog and then tried to take it back? It can be very hard to get it back because dogs are very good at lying to themselves. They say, this is my toy. But if that dog was more honest it might realize that it did not make the toy and it did not buy the toy. It was a gift from you.

That is what we are like with God. God has given us all our toys and our homes and our cities and all the rocks and water and trees. And we are very good at lying to ourselves, like dogs. We say, “This tree is mine.” And we stack rocks and build walls and tell other people to stay away. Because this is ours.

But it is not ours. It is a gift. And if someone is kind enough to give us something as beautiful as a tree or as hard as a rock or as oozy as a worm, we should be humble. And we should say thank you. And we should share whatever we have because it is not ours. Because nothing is ours.

This is easy enough when we are talking about toys and clothes and rocks and animals. But it is much harder when we are talking about ourselves. We like to think that we are smart or funny or fast. And maybe you are. But that is also a gift. It is a gift God gave your grandfathers and grandmothers, which they gave to your parents, and your parents gave to you. So even our own minds and talents are gifts, and so we have to share those too!

And so the first step of humility is honesty. Honesty that all things are gifts. And so we should share.

“The second step to humility,” said King Benjamin, “is compassion.” You see, one problem with seeing everything as a gift is that it’s easy to think that people who have a lot of gifts are lucky. God must love them the most, we say. And blessed them because they are so righteous. But this is not true.

God loves everyone. And if he gives a gift to one person, he is giving a gift to everyone. Because he expects us to share. And to take care of each other. And if that is not happening, it might be because we are not being compassionate.

Sometimes all it takes to be compassionate is noticing. Look around. See someone who needs something. Maybe it’s a toy, maybe it’s a flower, maybe it’s a hug. Once you notice, you will know what to do. Because, guess what? God made you like him. And God is compassionate. He is a noticer. And because he is a noticer, he is a gift giver. And so are you.

“The third and final step to humility,” said King Benjamin, “is Jesus.” Because just like everything else — just like honesty and compassion — humility is a gift from God. And it is a gift purchased, wrapped, and delivered by Jesus. Because he died for us. Not just for you and me, but everyone. You will never come across another person who Christ did not die for. And so you might think that loving Jesus is easy because he is pure and perfect and beautiful. But loving Jesus is not just loving his pure, perfect, beautiful self. Loving Jesus is loving all the people he died for. And that’s everyone.

They might not be pretty. They might not be perfect. You might not even know their name. But that doesn’t matter because, to you, they are Jesus. And you are also Jesus. He has given all of us his name to wear like an embroidered hat. It’s too big for our head. It wobbles and shakes and sometimes falls off. But if it falls off, put it right back on. Wear it proudly.

And if someone stops and asks you why you’re wearing an ill-fitting hat embroidered with the name Jesus. Stop and tell them, “That’s my name.”

Joshua is an award-winning writer and director. His recent book, Ali the Iraqi, was published by BCC press. Sarah is a literature and theology doctoral student studying the Book of Job in the twentieth century.

Artwork by Maddie Baker.