Do Ye Even So To Them

To my son, 

               One of my favorite books that I have ever read is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Perhaps its most famous story is near the beginning of the book when the main character, Jean Valjean, was released from prison and treated very poorly by nearly all people. He finally met a Bishop who received him into his home and helped him, and yet despite the Bishop’s kindness, Jean Valjean stole silver plates from him. He was subsequently caught by policemen since he looked suspicious and he was brought back to the Bishop. Instead of inflicting retribution on one who had been so ungrateful, the Bishop responded without hesitation: “Ah, there you are! I am glad to see you. But! I gave you the candlesticks also, which are silver like the rest, and would bring two hundred francs. Why did you not take them along with your plates?” Jean Valjean was of course stunned since the Bishop could have had him sent to prison for stealing; instead the Bishop gave him even more than what he had taken and said this to the thief, “Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become and honest man. Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!” Like the Savior, the Bishop showed perfect love to this man despite his evil deeds. His story has always inspired me to want to show more love to all those around me, even those who may not treat me like I want them to. Jesus taught: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matt. 7:12). This is the golden rule that is easily stated but often so hard to do!

                It is interesting what happened directly after Jean Valjean was sent away with the candlesticks in this story. He traveled into the woods and sat down, still stunned by what had transpire. A little boy named Petit Gervais came by and was playing with some coins. He dropped one and it rolled to where Jean Valjean was sitting. Instead of returning to piece of money, he put his foot over it. The boy came over and said, “Monsieur, my piece?” Jean Valjean wouldn’t let up his foot and the boy begged, “My piece, monsieur!” He continued when he got no response from the man, “My piece! My white piece! My silver! I want my piece! My forty-sous piece!” After the experience Jean Valjean had just had, with the unimaginable kindness he had been showed by the Bishop, you would think that he would gladly give this boy back the money, but his heart was still hardened. He refused to give the boy the piece and eventually scared him away brusquely. Jean Valjean heard the boy sobbing as he finally went away. As night fell and he reflected on what he had just done, Jean Valjean’s heart softened and he suddenly came to a realization of the terrible person he had become. He, who had been so generously given to, had returned the favor by stealing from a young child! Jean Valjean frantically ran back towards the nearest town and tried to find the boy to give him back his money, but he could not find him. He went around calling, “Petit Gervais! Petit Gervais! Petit Gervais!” but he was gone. Finally “he fell exhausted upon a great stone, his hands clenched in his hair, and his face on his knees, and exclaimed: ‘What a wretch I am!’ Then his heart swelled, and he burst into tears.” This was a great turning point in his life, and from that point on he did indeed turn to God and worked to serve his fellow man. He ended up doing an enormous amount of good for the poor in the subsequent parts of the story.  

                I love this account for a couple reasons. First, it shows us that we are happiest when we follow the golden rule. I know that to be true—happiness is not gained in getting what we want but it comes rather in giving to others and treating them with love. Jean Valjean was ultimately miserable when he chose to focus only on himself and treat with contempt the little boy. Alma declared this truth simply, “Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10). The second reason I like this story is that is shows that people can and do change. Despite the evil deeds that Jean Valjean did, including stealing from the Bishop who had treated him kindly and taking money from a desperate little boy, he was still able to turn his life around and become a new person. It doesn’t matter what we do, we can always repent, change and turn our lives to God. The Savior’s invitation to the Nephites is available to all of us no matter what we have done: “Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” (3 Nephi 9:13) We should never deny others the chance to truly change and never lose hope that we can overcome our own shortcomings. I know that happiness will come as you strive to live by the golden rule: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”      

 

Love,

Dad