Talk given at Holbrook, AZ.
On 4/15/2012
We were blessed with the opportunity of
being able to attend our granddaughter's first birthday party and be
there for our son's thirty first birthday. We had just left our son's
home in southern California and were in route to our other son's in
central California to enjoy the blessings of being sealed to our son in
the Fresno Temple, when the call came. I was asked to talk today on any
of the conference talks that moved me.
Oh my goodness! My
mind fluttered over the various uplifting, revitalizing talks that I
had heard. I mentally went over the talks trying to think of the
ONE
that moved me the most. All conference talks move me! However, some
strike a chord so deep in my heart, that I feel like the speaker was
told to teach "Me" that lesson.
Why?
Why do some talks strike deep in our hearts?
Why can I read a scripture multiple times and then one day, see something in it that I never saw before? That something leads to an
"Ah Ha!" moment of deep understanding.
Since 1992, when my husband joined the church, we have made a habit of asking each other,
"What special treasures we found in church?"
Sometimes .... listening to him describe a treasure, I wondered if we
were in the same room or if we were listening to two entirely different
talks!
I believe our loving Heavenly Father uses talks, lessons, and scriptures to teach each of us personally and individually.
The treasure I chose to share with you today is:
"The Merciful Obtain Mercy"
by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
"When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become
"kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving."
This
talk was prompted - in part - by a letter he received from a concerned
mother, whose children had stopped speaking to each other.
He said,
"
"I imagine that every person
on earth has been affected in some way by the destructive spirit of
contention, resentment, and revenge. Perhaps there are even times when
we recognize this spirit in ourselves. When we feel hurt, angry, or
envious, it is quite easy to judge other people, often assigning dark
motives to their actions in order to justify our own feelings of
resentment.
Of course we know this is wrong. The doctrine is clear. We all depend
on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ's Atonement
is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins come with
conditions. We must repent and we must be willing to forgive others.
Jesus taught: "Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not ...
[stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaindeth in him the
greater sin" and "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy."
He goes on to say,
"Of
course these words seem perfectly reasonable - when applied to someone
else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come
when "others" judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don't like it
when people judge us.
But
when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often
justify our anger as righteous and our judgement as reliable and only
appropriate. Though we cannot look into another's heart, we assume that
we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make
exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in
our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in
contempt."
He goes on to remind us,
"Our
Savior has spoken so clearly on this subject that there is little room
for private interpretation ... "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will
forgive," but then He said, "... of you it is required to forgive all men."
Then he adds a footnote here.
"When
the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving
ourselves. Sometimes of all the people in the world, the one who is the
hardest to forgive - as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of
our forgiveness - is the person looking back at us in the mirror.
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
is 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.""
This "treasure" talk struck a deep chord in my heart I believe for three reasons:
First it reminded me of an article I wrote that was published on October 31st 2010. I would like to share it with you.
Please
remember dear brothers and sisters that each day, each moment, you
choose who you are. Pay attention to the conversations that goes on
between your ears and be not slow to ask the Lord's help. Be willing to
work to make the changes. You choose who you are! I say these things in
Jesus Name - Amen.
