Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf on treating others with love and forgiveness

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (born November 6, 1940) served as a Seventy from 1994-2004, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve.  He served as second counselor in the First Presidency from 2008 to 2018.

"This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:

"Stop it!

"It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters. I don’t know exactly how to articulate this point of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, 'Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.'

"We must recognize that we are all imperfect—that we are beggars before God. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, meekly approached the mercy seat and pleaded for grace? Haven’t we wished with all the energy of our souls for mercy—to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed?

"Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? My beloved brothers and sisters, should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?"

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy," General Conference April 2012
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

While serving as a member of the First Presidency, President Uchtdorf shared many powerful messages, and this is a very memorable one. He encouraged us to consider our relationships with one another and to think about the need for love and forgiveness in those interactions. Too often we hold on to grudges and disagreements, as well as treating others with less respect than they deserve; and his advice was very simple: "Stop it!"

When we truly have "a heart full of love for God and His children" it will change our interactions with each other, and we will be more accepting, loving, and forgiving. We depend on mercy from God; we must offer it freely to one another.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

David O. McKay on finding the peace of Christ in the world

President David O. McKay (1873-1970) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1906.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant and George Albert Smith beginning in 1945, then then as the president of the Church from 1951 to his death in 1970 at age 96.

"The peace of Christ does not come by seeking the superficial things of life, neither does it come except as it springs from the individual's heart. Jesus said to His disciples: 'Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.' [John 14:27] Thus the Son of Man as the executor of his own will and testament gave to his disciples and to mankind the 'first of all human blessings.' It was a bequest conditioned upon obedience to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is thus bequeathed to each individual. No man is at peace with himself or his God who is untrue to his better self, who transgresses the law of right either in dealing with himself by indulging in passion, in appetite, yielding to temptations against his accusing conscience, or in dealing with his fellowmen, being untrue to their trust. Peace does not come to the transgressor of law; peace comes by obedience to law, and it is that message which Jesus would have us proclaim among men.

"If we would have peace as individuals, we must supplant enmity with forbearance, which means to refrain or abstain from finding fault or from condemning others. 'It is a noble thing to be charitable with the failings and weaknesses of a friend; to bury his weaknesses in silence, but to proclaim his virtues from the house tops.' We shall have power to do this if we really cherish in our hearts the ideals of Christ, who said:

"'If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.' [Matt. 5:23]

"Note the Savior did not say if you have ought against him, but if you find that another has ought against you. How many of us are ready to come up to that standard? If we are, we shall find peace. Many of us, however, instead of following this admonition, nurse our ill-will until it grows to hatred, then this hatred expresses itself in fault-finding and even slander, 'whose whisper over the world's diameter as level as a cannon to its mouth, transports its poison shot.' Back-biting, fault-finding, are weeds of society that should be constantly eradicated."

- David O. McKay, Conference Report October 1938
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"The peace of Christ" is a beautiful concept. Those words alone distinguish President McKay's concept from what we sometimes consider in searching for peace. His encouragement is that peace will come only through Christ, and only through faith and obedience to Christ's teachings. If we lack peace, we should consider where we might need to repent or increase faithfulness.

President McKay teaches the concept of "forbearance"—avoiding criticism or fault-finding of others. And then he discusses the interesting challenge of the Savior from Matthew 5:23, in which we are reminded that it's not just our feelings about others, but their feelings about us that we must consider in this search for peace. True disciples of Christ must rise to a high standard to merit His greatest blessings!

Interestingly, a little later in this article, President McKay makes this application of his principles, one which we might consider in this election year:

"During the approaching political campaign let us refrain from making personal attacks and from hurling slanderous abuse, and thus avoid injuring one another’s feelings, and after election have fewer regrets and heartaches."