Don’t give up on a perfect God just because of imperfect disciples.
Photo by LDS Media Library.
In his talk “Come, Join with Us,” Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles states, “The Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and his doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes.” While God is perfect, his followers sometimes make mistakes. We should be able to distinguish between his pure doctrine and human failings in order to stay true to the faith.
How can we tolerate other’s imperfections without allowing them to shake our testimonies of God’s doctrine? In my experience, it is through faith and forgiveness.
We should ask ourselves where our faith lies; is it in humankind or in Jesus Christ? We should keep our faith in Christ because it is only through him that we can become perfect. Everyone is repenting, so we must be patient.
When people make mistakes, we must be prepared to forgive them. I’ve learned that it doesn’t do any good to not forgive others and to harden our hearts towards other children of God because it will become more difficult to feel the Spirit in our lives.
If we have faith and forgive others, we will gain eternal blessings, including the ability to discern between God’s doctrine and his people. As Elder Uchtdorf said, “We must never allow doubt [or imperfection] to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Read “Come, Join with Us” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Sarah Warner, Mormon Insights
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