Friday, September 13, 2013

          Is anyone suspicious?  Glade kept reminding me that it was Friday the 13^th, but the day is over and all is well.  We were able to come home a couple of hours early tonight and that gave Glade’s back some needed relief.

The following comments are excerpts from an article addressing forgiveness, compassion, charity, and the command to “judge not.”  The article was a perfect response to some of yesterday’s experiences and contains great wisdom.  It was written by Wallace Goddard in the Meridian Magazine. 

“We all offend and we all do it because we are human.  We all grieve heaven . . . and come short of the glory of God. My mortal, human imperfection is something I share with all my offenders.  In the poetic expression of Edward Sill, ‘These clumsy feet, still in the mire, Go crushing blossoms without end’ (Fool's Prayer).

I can enlarge the world's supply of pain by responding to humanness with my own provincial humanness.  Or I can move us toward the divine by responding with the divine.  I can respond with charity.

Charity is a choice--a choice with eternal consequences.  ‘If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon will make you furious; if you do like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind’ (Irving Becker).  We are commanded to pray with all the energy of heart for the blessed gift of charity (Moroni 7:47-48) so that we can swallow offenses without getting indigestion.

‘Behold what the scripture says--man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay’ (Mormon 8:20).  ‘Ye ought to say in your hearts--let God judge between me and thee’ (D&C 64:11).

Jesus has begged us to stay out of the judging business since we are so poorly suited for it. His metaphor of motes and beams provides physical hyperbole but spiritual understatement:  Humans can never see each other clearly. Nowhere do we see through glass more darkly than in our assessment of those who have annoyed us for years.  We do not see that even annoying family members come ‘trailing clouds of glory, from God, who is our home.’

So how should we react when we are pained by the thoughtless and selfish acts of another?  We should pray that God will heal our wounds and then fill us with Him so that we can ‘love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them which despitefully use [us], and persecute [us]’ (Matthew 5:44).

His message is love.”