Judge Not and Have Charity Towards All

Judge not: Love instead!

This past week I have had a lot of experiences that I felt would be really appropriate to share with all of you, but as I thought about what I should be sharing, as I prayed about it and pondered my thoughts of the week: I felt strongly that I should share a message of "charity and judging not" today.

This week has been a week full of emotion and "mini" trials for me. I have had to remember to not judge others because I do not know the whole story of why they may be acting the way they are. I know I am not perfect and I am still learning, so maybe this spiritual thought is for me to learn from too: because I know that I judged others without reason this week.

When we judge others negatively we are not looking at them the way God sees them. We are looking at them as the world sees them. When we compare ourselves to the world we will never be happy. We can even judge ourselves. Judging negatively, whether it be others or ourselves never helps us or those around us to be happy or grow spiritually. It only tears down our self esteem and makes us sad. Sometimes we judge negatively without even knowing it. Sometimes we judge negatively based on limited facts and then when we find out all the facts: we feel stupid for thinking or saying what we did about a certain person or their action. Judging negatively doesn't bring us closer to our Heavenly Father: it pulls us from Him and makes us sad. There is a Hymn entitled "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" that talks about this. In the second verse it reads: "Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see. Who am I to judge another? Lord, I would follow thee."  In order to not judge negatively, we need to learn to see others as God sees them and to love them with the pure love of Christ. 

This pure love of Christ is called Charity. Let me use a scripture to explain to you what charity means. This scripture is found in the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni in chapter 7 verse 45. It reads:  

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

This scripture teaches us what charity is and is not. Charity is not puffed up, it does not seek for it's own good. Charity is all about putting other's needs before your own and loving them no matter what they look like, how they act, what they think, etc. Charity is loving no matter what. Every single day. The only people who have complete and perfect charity are the Savior and our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Mother.

I want to share with you two videos today that will help you understand why we should not judge and instead why we should have charity towards all. The first video is about not judging others. It is entitled: "Looking Through Windows" Click Here to watch. 

The second video is about having charity and loving all. It is entitled: "My brother Hyrum." Click Here to watch. 

In these 2 videos we learn from our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, that we need to love others with the pure love of Christ. We need to have Charity towards all: both men and women, and we need to refrain from judging others. I know that if we can learn to not judge others and have charity and love them instead we will be much happier people and we will be able to have the spirit with us more, and we will also be able to recognize the spirit more. I know that if we can love others for who they are and we do our best to have a charitable love towards all that we will be able to have more friends, we will be happier people, we will have stronger families, etc. I know that this is true. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on this earth and that by learning more about the gospel and doing our best to have His spirit with us always and learning to love others no matter what that we will be blessed and we will be able to do all things that we are asked to do, no matter how hard. I love the gospel and I have a testimony of the Savior and His everlasting love for me and you. I know He knows you and loves you. I challenge you to not judge others and to love all. I know it will bless your life. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen 

Love, 

Samantha