Are we improving as the years go by?

Rick and I have been having this discussion lately...

Are we better people now than we were 30 years ago?
Have we made improvements over the last 20 years?
10 years?
Since last week?
We go through all the motions of being good members
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.
We're good Christians.
We go to church.
We serve others.
We read our scriptures.
We're honest and hard working.
We try really hard to keep the commandments.
We pray.
We try.
But are we gaining ground?

Are we becoming better people with more Christ-like hearts?
Do we criticize less?
Do we judge less?
Do we give people the benefit of the doubt?
Do we love those who are hard to love?
Do we help and serve those who are hard to serve?
Are we self-absorbed?
Are we self-righteous?
Do we think we're better than others in any way?
Do we think our ways are the only right ways?
Are we impatient?
Are we uncharitable?

This is the real challenge.
To change our hearts.
To not just go through the motions, but to actually change.

1 Samuel 16: 7 - But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature;... for the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Why do we spend so much time looking at/caring about the appearance of ourselves
and of that of other people?
Why do we worry about our stature in life as it compares to the stature of other people?
This is not the way the Lord will measure us.
These things don't matter to Him.
He will look on our hearts.
Are we improving as the years go by to be to be measured by the Lord?