Mosiah 7:12

"And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness;"
Mosiah 7:12


I think that Ammon is amazing here. As a little bit of background, a small group had left the Nephites to go find the land of their ancestors, and hadn't been heard from again, and Ammon was part of a group out trying to find them. They did find them, and without being able to explain who they were, they were thrown in prison for days, basically waiting to die... until the king called for them to answer some questions, and finally in this verse they are permitted to speak. Ammon's words and actions might not seem that amazing to us until we think of what else he could have done. ... He could have been irate. He could have demanded an apology or respect. He'd been thrown in jail for days for doing nothing wrong. Instead, he bowed. He expressed thanks. He demanded nothing. He assumed goodness on the part of the King. So many things could have gone wrong here... and probably Ammon considered none of them, because he had the spirit with him, to help him and guide him in what to say, what to do, and was putting God first. :) ... Let's try to follow his example today. Let's not react with pride when we're treated badly. Let's work on keeping the spirit with us to remind us and help us know how to react with love and an assumption of goodness.