Alma 18

Alma 18

The first son of Mosiah, Ammon, went to King Lamoni and became his servant. In chapter 17 it describes how he defended the King's flocks by cutting off the arms of many of the Lamanites (always the Sunday School boys' favorite). The King is so amazed at this that he has Ammon come in to him to explain his power. This allowed Ammon to start teaching him about the plan of happiness.

King Lamoni had a basic belief in God. However, the Lamanite traditions taught that they could live however they wanted. They were not accountable to the "great spirit" or to anyone else for that matter.

I've been thinking a lot about accountability lately and have come to realize that this is the only way for positive change to occur in our lives. This is kind of a lame example, but look at weight loss. People who have a weight goal and do it with someone else are more likely to keep working on it because they know that other person is counting on them. I have also seen this with my student teachers. They will not read articles or assignments I give to them unless they are accountable in some way to report back to me.

One of the talks that I loved during conference was about sacrament meeting (by Elder Oaks). What a perfect example of a way to check ourselves each week! As we make another promise with the Lord to always remember Him and keep the commandments, we also can reflect on ways that we need to improve. Accountability is everything.