Christ's visit to the Americas

What must it have felt like to be one of the more righteous part of the people who were spared after the death of Jesus Christ, to live in the Americas at the time of His coming? What was it like to literally sit at the feet of Jesus as He taught? What if I had been there? What would I think? What would I do? Would I be spiritually prepared? Would I listen with my heart? There is a beautiful children’s song about just this, published in 2007 by Sally DeFord. The first two verses are especially poignant:

If I had been a little child when Jesus lived on earth,
I would have liked to walk with Him and listen to His words,
But as I search the scriptures I can hear His words of peace,
And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.

I hear a living prophet speak the things that Christ would say
If He were here upon the earth to talk with me today.
The prophet teaches how to live in righteousness and peace,
And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.

We have the amazing opportunity to have a living prophet today to listen to and learn from. He speaks the words of Christ and what He would have us do. We have the internet where we can search the words of the prophets. We have television and radio where we can hear and see the prophet speak to us during General Conference. How blessed we are! We may not have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Jesus when He was here on the earth, but we were saved to be here during these latter days. His Second Coming very well may come in our lifetime. Do you think maybe the account of Christ's visit to the Americas was given to us as a type of the Second Coming and the feelings we will experience?

“And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (3 Nephi 17:17)

Oh, how I long to experience that kind of joy! I want to remain worthy so I may sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him. How grateful I am for the scriptures and the knowledge of the Second Coming of our Savior. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn how to be like Him. We have great potential. Just the thought gives me hope for a bright future filled with happiness and peace.