Love has always been the most important business of life.
--- Anonymous

Friday, April 01, 2011

Answers

God answers prayers.  That's what I am thinking about right now.

I had something that was really bothering me and I didn't even know how to pray about it. I couldn't pray, "Please change that person's behavior/mind against his/her will."  I couldn't pray, "Please explain to that person that I am right and he/she is wrong!" Ha!   I couldn't pray, "Please make me feel happy about the fact that this person is doing/saying awful things."  I had chosen to not think about it. But it was gnawing at me.

I finally prayed something like, "Please help me with this even though I don't know what to ask for."

And today, while nursing the baby, I picked up a book to read.  It's one of the Sunday School manuals, called "Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Joseph Smith."  I randomly opened up to chapter 29 and there were my answers.  So simple.

1.  Speak your truth --in a kind, forthright way (don't clam up, but don't meddle or impose either)
2.  Respect the other person's version of the truth.  This is liberty.  People have died for this right!
3.  Refuse to find fault; build up others as well as ourselves; put away ungenerous feelings.

I summarized these three ideas from the chapter. Here's a link to the whole chapter online: http://www.prophetjosephsmith.org/teachings/chapter-21-30/peace-and-harmony

"If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down?  No.  I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way." -Joseph Smith

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