Use Boldness, But Not Overbearance

I've been thinking about this for quite a while now. According to my Patriarchal Blessings, it states that my Heavenly Father will bless me with words that will come into my mind and grant me wisdom and the faith with courage to be bold in my testimony. 

Bold is defined: of a person, action, or idea - showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous. 

Being bold doesn't necessarily mean it's always good though. In fact, we might be thinking we're being bold, but in reality we're being judgmental. Just because we feel something strongly, it doesn't give us the license to confront someone. If we do that, we could be mistaken as being judgmental or plain rude. So how can we use bold faith? We can find that in the Book of Mormon in Alma 38 verse 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."

Spencer W. Kimball once stated: "Sometimes we forget that it is better to risk a little ruffling in the relationship of a friend than it is to deprive them of eternal life by leaving them silent. Besides, our missionaries generally follow the counsel in the Book of Mormon: "Use boldness, but not overbearance."

Bridle all your Passions

Satan would like us to believe that to be religious we must "stifle" all our passions. He teaches that religion demands that we be monk-like, emotionless, boring, and incapable of any strong feelings. This of course, is a typical twisting of the truth. A bridle is placed so that the horse's direction can be controlled. A bridle does not slow the horse's speed, it just points it in the right direction. So it is with our emotions and passions. The Lord does not expect us to stifle them. He does not expect us to be emotionless, Impassionate robots. Rather, he wants us to express our passions and deepest emotions in the proper channels, within the bounds that are appropriate for their full expression.

Boyd K. Packer once said: "A bridle is used to guide, to direct. Our Passion is to be controlled - but not controlled by extermination, as with a plague of insects; not controlled by eradication, as with a disease. It is to be controlled as electricity is controlled, to generate power and life. When lawfully used, the power of procreation will bless and it will sanctify" (The Things of the Soul, p. 109)

Conclusion

Being bold is not a bad thing. In fact we are counseled to "Be Valiant in the Fight of Faith." We're even commanded to become "A Voice of Warning" to the people. However, love always comes first. A single act of kindness will seldom be enough. The Lord described the love we must feel, and that those we invite must recognize in us, with words like these: "Charity suffereth long," and it "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Cor. 13:4,7.) 

"We must develop the capacity to see men 

not as they are at present 

but as they may become" 

Thomas S. Monson

Click here if video doesn't work: See Other as They May Become