Lessons from Alma

During November, I studied all of the chapters in the Book of Mormon which contain the teachings of Alma. Here are some of the principles I learned, grouped by category:

Leadership

• Don’t delay difficult conversations. Hold the conversation by (1) stating the problem clearly, (2) addressing any misunderstandings which may have caused or exacerbated the problem, and (3) expressing confidence that those I lead can address the issue wisely and effectively.
• Trust the people you lead and express confidence in their ability to make wise decisions.
• Pray for the success of those you lead and find joy in their accomplishments.

Teaching

• When others are ready to learn, set aside what you’re doing and take the time to teach them.
• Teach others by by building on their current understanding instead of criticizing their misconceptions.

Agency

• Don’t procrastinate. When something needs to be done, do it.
• Living the gospel brings peace and joy into our lives, even before we see the consequences of our actions.
• We should act in harmony with what we know to be true and also with what we believe to be true.
• We need to think about the consequences of our decisions, both in terms of how they affect others and how they affect us. We are our own judges — our decisions determine our ultimate destiny

Gaining Spiritual Knowledge

• If we ask, Heavenly Father can help us understand things that are confusing to us now.
• We should prioritize questions which will yield the most value and spend less time and energy on questions which may be interesting but which are less important.
• To gain spiritual knowledge, we need to invite the Holy Ghost into our lives and open our hearts to His influence.
• We should be humble about the knowledge we have already received.

Humility

• Recognizing our proclivity to sin can help us be humble.
• Pride grows naturally. We would be wise to look for signs of pride and repent quickly when we begin to see them.

Faith in God

• We can pray and exercise faith in all circumstances. Heavenly Father will hear and answer us in all of the environments in which we find ourselves. He loves us and is eager to bless us.
• Our faith can be strengthened by remembering what the Lord has done for us in the past.
• We need to trust God’s plan and His timing. Sometimes, blessings may be withheld from us simply because we aren’t ready to receive them yet.
• We must remember that the Savior’s Atonement can compensate for the harm that has been done to us and for the harm we have caused to others.