"The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.
Each one of us will travel a different road during this life. Each progresses at a different rate. Temptations that trouble your brother may not challenge you at all. Strengths that you possess may seem impossible to another.
Never look down on those who are less perfect than you. Don’t be upset because someone can’t sew as well as you, can’t throw as well as you, can’t row or hoe as well as you.
We are all children of our Heavenly Father. And we are here with the same purpose: to learn to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves." The Virtue of Kindness, Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2005
Mark 12: 30-31And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
I love this thought. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder. It's way to easy to judge other who have less or aren't as "good" at things as you. So many of us often look to do that in order to make ourselves feel better. Great post.
ReplyDeleteLisa
Amen. Great post.
ReplyDeleteVery well said. I wish more people thought like you did.
ReplyDeleteSo true. If we were perfect we would not need church.
ReplyDeletekateri @ http://dandelionhaven.blogspot.com/
Thank you to all of you. I loved it too, it was exactly what I needed to remember myself!!
ReplyDeletePatty,
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. Another way I have heard it put is that one man felt inadequate coming to church because he was struggling with the Word of Wisdom and felt like he wasn't worthy to come to church. Someone told him that the sign on the church says The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, and these words could be added..."for sinners only".
We all fall short and that is why we need one another to love us and help us along the way.
My Stake President in Iowa taught an important principle in leadership meetings. He said that if we couldn't smell cigarette smoke at church meetings we needed to be doing more -- we had members we were responsible for who smoked and the place they should be to stop smoking was in church.
ReplyDelete.... that was a really long run-on sentence -- did it make sense?