Disciple of Jesus Christ
Enduring to the end
Our bodies will be made perfect in the resurrection
"If healing does not come in mortal life, it will come thereafter. Just as the gorgeous monarch butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, so will spirits emerge" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "The Moving of the Water").
I suffer from a panic disorder and have been very angry at times with my body, that it can't function to the level that I want it to. But knowing that one day my body will be made perfect comforts me. I just need to endure it now and find reasoning in my trial.
Mortality is only a small moment in our Eternal life
"Mortal life is temporary and, measured against eternity, infinitesimally brief. If a microscopic droplet of water should represent the length of mortal life, by comparison all the oceans on earth put together would not even begin to represent everlasting life" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "The Moving of the Water").
This has been such a comforting truth in my life. When I'm in my darkest times of trial, thinking of how small this moment is compared to the eternities helps me pull through.
Knowing our divine worth
We are all equal in the eyes of God
All are invited "to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:33, as qtd. in "Concern For the One").
We need to be inclusive of everyone. Though we have our differences, we are all equal in that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.
Our spirits have no deformities
"Spirits which are beautiful and innocent may be temporally restrained by physical impediments" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "The Moving of the Water").
I know and have seen that some of the most beautiful spirits that give off the greatest amount of life are those sweet spirit in those with physical disabilities and have special needs. They were truly some of the most valiant of us in the war in heaven.
We are children of God
"All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole" (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Concern For the One").
We've all had moments where we've felt like we don't belong because of our differences. But that is what makes us beautiful. It reminds me of the story "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. Please read this children's book when you can!
Loving your neighbor
We've been commanded to be our brother's keeper
One day, I received a panicked call from a friend back at home. She had been going through extreme depression, and was suicidal. The Spirit told me immediately that I was to be her keeper. I had been through this experience myself before, and I allowed myself to be a tool in His hands to help this sweet, precious daughter of His. She was able to gain the courage to seek help, and by talking her fears with me and expressing her feelings, she knew she wasn't alone, but that everything was going to be okay. God's going to send us His children our way to take care of them, even if it's just for a moment. We need to be always ready to be our brother's keeper.
Looking upon their hearts, not their physical state
Assumptions are dangerous
“Funny thing about assumptions—they can cut away the very roots of something that could flourish and grow if given a chance" (qtd. in "Doctrine of Inclusion" by Elder M. Russell Ballard).
"The whole class was afflicted with a marvelous kind of blindness. They could not see that he was different. They saw a classmate, a friend. In them the works of God were being manifest. While there was no physical transformation in the boy or in his classmates, they were serving like angels, soothing a spirit locked in a deformed body awaiting that time when it would be everlastingly made perfect" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "The Moving of the Water").
There was this special needs boy in my elementary school named Eddie. He was in a wheel chair, he couldn't speak, and had a mental disability. He would come to our gym class every Tuesday and Thursday along with his class to do P.E. with us. None of us saw his disability. How could you when you saw his brilliant, beautiful smile, the joy he filled the room with? His heart was truly upon his sleeve, for all the world to see. It was beautiful and pure. We loved him dearly, and fought with each other on who would get to be his gym partner that day. To this day, I'll never forget Eddie's touch on my life.
Being kind
"If only we had more compassion for those who are different from us, it would lighten many of the problems and sorrows in the world today. It would certainly make our families and the Church a more hallowed and heavenly place" (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Concern For the One").
One small act of kindness from a boy lifted me up in one of my darkest times. I was struggling with anxiety and depression, and life was very miserable and difficult. I was passionate about baking, and I had made a cake for my seminary class. No one took a bite of it though. Of course now, I realize it was early in the morning, and who wants cake at that time, but at that age, I was devastated. I remember crying in the foyer after class, waiting for my mom to come pick me up. I felt rejected. I thought I was alone, but this older boy in my class came up to me. He was one of the tough and rough guys. Yet to my surprise, he smiled at me as I tried to hide my tears and simply said, "Could I have a slice of your cake?" He took it and then walked away. That was such a small act of kindness. It was just a question. But the amount of love I felt from that lifted me up and gave me the courage to keep fighting through my trial at that time.
Comforting those in need
"In [our] own way, [we] should become like angels who 'move the water,' healing a spirit by erasing loneliness, embarrassment, or rejection (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "The Moving of the Water").
A friend of mine at the age of 16 had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital. I remember standing outside the hospital room with my dad. I didn't know what to say or how to comfort him, but I wanted to so badly. When I entered that room, and I saw him lying there so scared, I gave him a loving smile. After our dads gave him a blessing, I remember leaving the room feeling so disappointed in myself. "I should've said something dad! I didn't comfort my friend at all," I said. I found out later that that small, simple, genuine smile I gave him was an answer to his family and his prayers. The Spirit flooded the room once I smiled him, and he ended up feeling the strength and courage that he could do this, and he knew that everything was going to be okay.
Finding His lost sheep
What prevent us from doing this is having a spirit of entitlement
We learn from Elder Clark and Elder Bednar that if we begin to have a feeling of entitlement, we become prideful and not humble, and the Spirit withdraws from us ("Drenched in Gratitude: Protection Against the Spirit of Entitlement"). If we feel entitled, we will not be able to find His lost sheep nor save them.
"True disciples of Jesus Christ have always been concerned for the one" (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Concern For the One").
"Some are lost because they are different. They feel as though they don’t belong" (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Concern For the One").
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (Luke 15:4, as qtd. in "Concern For the One")
The parable of the Good Samaratin
