We just spent this last weekend in New Harmony and was able to relax and watch General Conference. I loved all the talks but the the one that is really sticking with me right now is President Uchtdorf's about judging others. What a wonderful talk!!
President Uchtdorf spoke about a mother whose desire was to have her two children become reconciled with each other. This mother felt that a general conference talk could heal her two children.
He said that stories of envy and hatred have been the most tragic stories in history. The spirit of contention, resentment and revenge is a destructive force. We all depend on the savior and none of us can be saved without him. We must repent and we must be willing to forgive one another. We don’t like it when people judge us but when it comes to our own grievances we justify our feelings. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel we have all the information that we need to hold someone else in contempt. The moment we judge someone else we condemn ourselves. Refusing to forgive is a sin. It required by the Lord that we forgive all men. That includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes we are the one that is hardest to forgive. We must recognize that we are all imperfect. We all need to be forgiven of the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed.
President Uchtdorf said that regarding this topic of hating, judging others, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing or wanting to cause harm we should apply a two word sermon. Stop It! It’s that simple. Replace all these feelings with love.
I love it! Simply, Stop it.
He also mentioned a bumper sticker he once saw, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently that you.”
How can we expect to take advantage of the mercy of our Father in Heaven if we cannot forgive?
“When our hearts are filled with the love of God, something good and pure happens to us.”
Sounds simple huh? My husband and I were driving from getting our favorite treat, Golden Spoon yogurt. I found myself nit picking at some of the things a couple of drivers did. Then we’d both say, “Stop It!” and laughed.
This is my new motto when I choose to judge and criticize.
Stop It!!
I loved this talk, too. I kept thinking about that quote, the one where he says that we all sin differently. I think it is easy to judge someone else based on our own weaknesses and expect others to have similar ones. Thanks for the insight!
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