Encircle Them Round About

The story of Ammon is perhaps one of the most well-known of all of the Book of Mormon stories, and my kids' very favorite.  There's just something about that story that's appealing to kids, especially young boys.  There is much to be learned from Ammon about loyalty, courage and humility, but today I thought about this story in a different way than I ever have before.

When the king's sheep were scattered by the Lamanites, Ammon did not worry.  He rallied the servants and they gathered the sheep back together. 

And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren:  Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks. (Alma 17:33)

©Darrell Wyatt

So the servants made a circle around the sheep, while Ammon took care of the Lamanites who were trying to scatter them.  And it worked.  The men who were left standing after Ammon took care of business fled, never to return.  The sheep were safe, and the servants were spared the wrath of the king who had put to death previous servants who were charged with keeping his sheep and then lost them to the band of Lamanites.

This is going to sound completely narcissistic, but bear with me.  As I was reading, I began to think of myself as Ammon.  I, too, have been given the charge of keeping some of the King's sheep.  There are forces at work trying to scatter those sheep, and it is my responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen.  I must encircle them round about using things like family prayer, scripture study, Family Home Evening, and church meetings to keep them together.  There must be rules and expectations that will strengthen this circle around them.  

I was thinking of Ammon's sheep, as well.  I'm sure it was uncomfortable for some of them to be "encircled round about".  Maybe there wasn't a lot of room and they felt crowded. I'm sure they would have loved to have been able to stretch their legs and wander around a little bit.  But Ammon knew that by keeping them encircled round about, the outside forces wouldn't be able to get to them.  They would be safer this way.  In this same way, my kids sometimes resist the safety of being encircled about.  They want to stretch their legs and wander away for a little while, and they insist that they will be safe.  Because I have been given the responsibility to care for them and keep them from harm, they sometimes view my actions as crowding them or taking away their space.  Hopefully they will understand as they grow older that all this time I have really been trying to keep those outside forces at bay for as long as possible.  More often than not, I am as one of the king's servants, actually taking an active part in encircling them round about. But every once in awhile, I will need to count on those other things - church, scriptures, prayer, the guidance I have given them, because I will not always physically be there with them.  I can only hope that I will be able to build those areas up so well that the kids will be able to depend on them when they are alone. 

Click here to read what I read today: Alma 16

Click here to read what I read today: Alma 17