Judgement

Okay, anyone who reads this knows that I am not perfect. I am very far from it. That being said, I have to get some frustrations off my chest (as it were). I am so tired of people who put on such a good face and act as though they are good followers of Christ and act in Christ's name, but that love only applies to a certain kind of people. I see so many that I love being hurt by this kind of behavior and it just makes me want to explode. Now I am not saying that we must embrace every person that comes across our path as though they were our brother or sister, but we do need to be open and allow ourselves to appreciate those who are not exactly like us. We are told to use good judgement in those we share our lives with, but we are also told not to judge. There is not such a fine line between these two things as some would have me believe. It is very simple. The Spirit whispers to help offer good judgment, Satan is the author of judging. And even when we must use good judgement and create some distance between us and a person who may cause us damage, this can be done with a non-judgemental approach, and that person can still feel as though they are loved. I love the way that Marvin J. Ashton said it, "If the adversary can influence us to pick on each other, to find fault, bash, and undermine, to judge or humiliate or taunt, half his battle is won. Why? Because though this sort of conduct may not equate with succumbing to grievous sin, it nevertheless neutralizes us spiritually. The Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell where there is bickering, judging, contention, or any kind of bashing." I love this! He also said, "None of us need one more person bashing or pointing out where we have failed or fallen short. Most of us are already well aware of the areas in which we are weak. What each of us does need is family, friends, employers, and brothers and sisters who support us, who have the patience to teach us, who believe in us, and who believe we're trying to do the best we can, in spite of our weaknesses. What ever happened to giving each other the benefit of the doubt? What ever happened to hoping that another person would succeed or achieve? What ever happened to rooting for each other?" I am especially taken by that last line. I truly love rooting for all the people in my life. I am nothing more than a past-her-prime, overweight, cheerleader. Does this mean that I sometimes get disappointed and even hurt? Of course it does. But there is one thing that I have truly gained a testimony of, in the recent years of my life. God will make up the difference. He will help to absorb the disappointment and pain, if I am trying hard to truly love. I ache tonight as I send messages out to some that I love who are being hurt by gossip and intolerance and very harsh judgements from others. I ache and I beg, in my prayers that I can have charity. Especially the charity defined by Elder Ashton, "Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Mission...Purpose...Calling...Hmmmm

I watched some butterflies free themselves from their cocoons this morning. Heady stuff. Put me in thinking mode for the rest of the day. They know what to do. They know how to work it just right to free themselves from the chrysalis and they know just how to work their wings to get them dry and then they go right to work. I started looking beyond the butterflies at all the flowers and plants and trees and other forms of animal life that were around me. And it struck me that they know, most of them just coming knowing what to do. There are some forms of animal life that have to be mothered a bit, but for the most part, it takes very little mothering or training for most wildlife to fulfill the measure of their creation. We are not the same. We come knowing nothing. We come with our memories of any past understanding completely erased and we are helpless. But, because of my beliefs, I know that we are expected to not only fulfill the measure of our creation, but more. We are to complete a mission. We are to leave a legacy. We have gifts and talents that are uniquely bundled in each of us that precipitate a divine calling which we are to discover and then engage in, with all of our hearts. Today, I find this both empowering and overwhelming. A large part of me just wants to be the butterfly. I just want to be a life form that comes knowing what to do and how to do it. I just want to live my three days, frantically working the task that I was sent to do and then go back to my creator and rest easy, having reported that I did all that He required of me. But I do not have this option. I have been given a testimony of truths that do not allow me to simply exist. I must seek and learn and discover and grow and then offer something to others. I must serve and I must love and I must use my gifts to allow others to make the most of their gifts as well. This is hard work. Today, I heard SO many people commenting on the effort that the butterfly must put forth in order to free himself from what binds him and keeps him from fulfilling his purpose. We are no different, we just have to struggle against a different kind of binding force in order to free ourselves and fulfill the demands made upon us by the Creator. My question tonight is just how much do I have to do alone? The butterfly cannot have help. If any outside force tries to give him aid, he will fail in his purpose, he will not have the strength he needs to go to work on his assigned task. But I pray that we are not like the butterfly. Tonight, I am battling alone, and I am losing. It is my prayer that, just as we are different in the way that we are born and progress, than the other life forms on the planet, I pray that we are allowed to have aid and assistance in breaking ourselves free of what binds us. And I want to be free.