Visiting Teaching message for May 2012 (General Conference Talks)

I would like to share with you the talk from General Conference 2012 given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled “The merciful Obtain Mercy”. I picked this one as I has hit home in my life this past month as I have very recently had a son who had wandered off the path for many years, come back, and only last weekend was sealed to his wife and family in God’s holy temple.  I will expound more later but I want to share a few quotes from President Uchtdorphs talk:

“We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said that those who pass judgment on others are “inexcusable.” The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin. Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against.

Our Savior has spoken so clearly on this subject that there is little room for private interpretation.  “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive,” but then He said, “…of you it is required to forgive all men.”

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 is 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 sister.  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 will 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.”

I wanted to pick up here with my own story that happened only a couple of weeks ago.  My son and his wife had been meeting frequently with our Bishop for many months, repenting of their sins, and doing all that they needed to do to get back on track with their lives.  Their greatest desire was to be able to go to the temple and be sealed together for eternity as well as to have their three children sealed to them.  They had done all that was required and one Sunday, Temple recommends were issued to both of them.   They set the date for their personal ordinance work sealings to take place in the temple.  The week before they were to attend the temple for the first time, I took my son and daughter in law to the store to purchase their temple clothing.  My son showed up to our house looking nice, but his arms were exposed, showing the tattoos that were marking them.  I have never liked tattoos and felt they were a mark that would cause a lot of judgment from others, against him.  I am guilty of judging him as well.  And I said to him, “Son, why don’t you put on a jacket when we go into the store for your temple clothing.” 

He said, “I don’t need a jacket as it is warm outside.” 

I then replied, “My thoughts were that you cover up your tattooed arms so no one will see them.” 

Now, I knew that he had been forgiven of his sins, but I just couldn’t get past my own thoughts and judgments about not only myself seeing him try on temple clothing with tattoos all over his arms, but my thoughts were drawn to what the workers would say or how they would react, when they saw him coming.  At that moment, my son said something pretty profound, which has made such an impression on me that I will never forget for the rest of my life. 

He said, “Mom, I will enter that store, me and my tattoos, proudly holding my temple recommend in my hand.  I will be as worthy as anyone else who goes shopping for their temple clothing, and if they want to judge me because I have tattoos on my arms, then that will be their problem.  I have made my peace and have received forgiveness from the Lord and He has found me worthy to enter the temple.  This recommend is all that anyone needs to know about me when they see me buying my temple clothes.”

I thought for a moment, and realized that he was absolutely right.  He is every bit as worthy to be in that store as anyone else, and it was my own personal judgments that I expressed, that needed to be repented of.  When the Lord has judged my son worthy, who am I to judge and even hold on to those thoughts.  I and others can will always see his tattooed arms, but we all need to look on him as God sees him…. Pure and clean, and worthy to enter Gods house.  Yes, I will always wish he had not marked up his skin, but once again, when we go on to live with our Heavenly Father one day, those tattoos will be left in the earth, and he will enter God’s presence unmarked and as he left it before birth.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see my son take the hand of his beautiful wife over God’s alter and be sealed together for time and all eternity.  Then even more precious, as their two little sons (age 1 and 4) were brought into the sealing room all dressed in white, my eyes were wet, and gratitude and thanksgiving filled my heart.  My greatest desire for my son and his family , was being fulfilled.  My husband also took his place as the proxy for my son’s first baby boy who died only moments after his birth, and I was also blessed to be able to hold my 1 year old grandson as they were sealed as a family, together forever.  I didn’t look upon my son’s arms as a mark of the past, but looked into his eyes and heart and the great hope his family has ahead of them.  I cannot tell you what a marvelous experience it was that day.  This was the icing on the cake if you will, the best of what this earth life has to offer, and our Savior made it all possible through his Atoning sacrifice.    

“Don’t judge me, because I sin differently than you”, will forever ring in my mind and I want to thank President Uchtdorph for sharing that with us in General conference.  This was a message that everyone needs to hear.  We all sin because we are human, but if we will apply the Atonement in our lives, we can be made perfect…”Even as our father in heaven is Perfect”. “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not…(stands) condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” (D&C 64:9) and “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)