Alma 38:12

"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."
Alma 38:12


What does it mean to be bold, but not overbearing? I think it means that it is okay to have an opinion and to state it. Be bold. Tell people what we think, and share our ideas. No need to hide in a corner and wait to be asked. :) ... but being overbearing takes it too far. We can share our opinions appropriately, but never expect other people to drop everything and do what we say... even if we are the boss, or maybe especially if we are. We need to allow other people boldness as well, and listen to their ideas and take them into consideration as we make decisions. And this leads into bridling our passions. Just as it is GOOD to be bold, but we shouldn't take it too far into overbearance, the same goes for other things that we feel. Being over-emotional can be a form of selfishness... worrying about our own emotions more than we focus on other people. Our emotions have to be under our control, and held back from interfering with our relationships or hurting other people. That's how we can be filled with love... by controlling the other things that are fighting for the same emotional space. And I'm definitely not saying don't feel them... the scripture doesn't say stomp out your passions or deny that they exist. :) Emotions aren't inherently bad. They only cause damage if they are allowed to take over and hurt people, including ourselves. And this leads into refraining from idleness. It is natural to feel a need to rest and retreat... to kick back and disengage from the things that are causing us stress. And like other emotions, this also is great in small doses. But if we're spending so much time retreating from stress that we start to smell and don't have any clean clothes to wear, we might actually need to engage, at least with the shower and washing machine. :) Just like any other desire, we can let a healthy desire for relaxation and downtime turn into something damaging if taken too far. Today, let's be careful to not to let any of our valid emotions take over our minds or hurt anyone... but let's also remember to be bold, and engage with the world appropriately. :)