Love One Another

At the beginning of this year, one of my new years resolution goals was that I was going to try to not be so quick to judge others and that I would try harder to be a friend to everyone (which my patr.- blessing says that I will be a friend to everyone, so I figured this was something important for me to do:) now this hasn't always been easy for me to do and I am afraid that I have failed at this thus far, but this year I decided "I am going to be better"!!

This has been a very hard thing to do sometimes and has required lots of prayers and studying to help me overcome this. I found a good 1972 ensign (for those friends who are not members of our church this is a church magazine that is printed monthly) article by President Eldon N. Tanner entitled "Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged". There are a few things I want to copy and paste because he says it best.

"The other day, as I overhead one neighbor criticizing another, I was reminded of these lines":

“Wouldn’t this old world be better
If the folks we meet would say:
‘I know something good about you,’
And then treat us that way?”


Then I thought of the words of one of our hymns:

“Let each man learn to know himself;
To gain that knowledge let him labor,
Improve those failings in himself
Which he condemns so in his neighbor.
How lenient our own faults we view,
And conscience’s voice adeptly smother;
Yet, oh, how harshly we review
The selfsame failings in another! …
So first improve yourself today
And then improve your friends tomorrow.”
—Hymns, no. 91


"When we try to judge people, which we should not do, we have a great tendency to look for and take pride in finding weaknesses and faults, such as vanity, dishonesty, immorality, and intrigue. As a result, we see only the worst side of those being judged.
Let us look for the good rather than try to discover any hidden evil. We can easily find fault in others if that is what we are looking for.
Let us remember too that the further out of line or out of tune we ourselves are, the more we are inclined to look for error or weaknesses in others and to try to rationalize and justify our own faults rather than to try to improve ourselves. Almost invariably, we find that the greatest criticism of Church leaders and doctrine comes from those who are not doing their full duty, following the leaders, or living according to the teachings of the gospel."

Now I know this is all easier said than done, and is a daily struggle for most (including myself). In my own experience, I have sometimes lost friends or have had people treat me differently because I am reaching out to others who they may not approve of or fit in their kind of group. I know I have found my own self thinking something with the intent of being harmless (or maybe even at times on purpose) but really was judging someone else that was not my place to. I will still continue to be at fault I am sure, but I know that with the lords help we can overcome the adversary and reach out to those who are struggling in one way or the other. Christ loved everyone, even those who hated him, whipped him, spat on him and crucified him, what greater love is there to show our fellow man than the pure love of christ! I know I am not perfect and this isn't about who can have the most friends or be the most popular. I just made a goal, that I was going to be more Christ-like towards others and serve one another regardless of what the consequences might be. Everyone is at different stages in life and all have different experiences, and although there may be things we don't agree with and can choose to not go along with something that may not be right,but we can still reach out to others and help raise them up and set the example that Christ would want us to do. I am so thankful for my friends and family for all of the help you give to me in my life and for those great examples that you all set for my family.
Love to you all!