While we were driving home from New Mexico there was a talk on the BYU channel on XM radio given by President Uchtdorf about being merciful. I had heard it before when it was given in General Conference in April 2012, but this time I really took it in. I listened to it carefully and many thoughts came into my mind. "I need to do better" being chief among them. These were some of the questions he asked:
Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?
Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true?
Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?
Do you secretly envy another?
Do you wish to cause harm to someone?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!
In
a world of accusations and unfriendliness, it is easy to gather and
cast stones. But before we do so, let us remember the words of the One
who is our Master and model: “He that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone.”12
Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones.
Let us be kind.
Let us forgive.
Let us talk peacefully with each other.
Let the love of God fill our hearts.
“Let us do good unto all men.”13
The Bottom Line
This
topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon.
When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding
grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:
Stop it!
It’s
that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace
judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and
His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all
brothers and sisters. I don’t know exactly how to articulate this point
of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and
persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound
doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was
attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little
rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an
insightful lesson. It read, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently
than you.”
I made a decision to do better and to give this gift of self-improvement to the Savior for Christmas this year. I brought up this idea with Rick, Andy and Chelsea who were also riding in the car. Chelsea said that this self-denial concept was common in the Catholic religion and that they call it Lent. It is usually done in April around Easter. This description from Wikipedia explains it a little more: The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Bible when Jesus is crucified on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Painting by Joseph Brickey
Why not do Lent in December? We all thought it was a good idea and we decided then and there what we would each do by giving something up and practicing some self-denial, repentance, prayer and improvement. We stated our goals out loud and ask the others to help us if we slipped. It's been a hard challenge and I haven't been perfect at it. But I'm trying and I'm improving and I just might keep it up all through the new year. It seems like a perfect gift to give the Savior...following his example and trying to be more like Him. Reaching out in faith to touch the hem of His garment in order to gain some strength and power to overcome some of my shortcomings.
