This is a GREAT talk.

Its long, but SOOOOOO good!!!!

http://byub.org/talks/transcripts/devo/2009/1/devo2009113-3403.pdf

So Josh printed out this talk and told me how great it was. Well after a couple weeks I have finally sat down and read it. It applied to me so much and I learned/relearned a lot too. I'm posting it here because I just love it so much. I definitely have felt the Lord trying to teach me this lesson over and over again lately. We had our stake axillary training two weeks ago and we were talking about unity and how we as members of the church need to be more unified, and also as presidency members, and within each class and quorum, and especially as a yw presidency united with the yw parents. We talked about all of the things that can prevent us from being unified such as blaming, being selfish, gossiping, and focusing on differences. The speaker then quoted Sheri Dew when she said she often wonders if the last judgment day will be a piece of cake compared to how harshly we women judge ourselves and each other. Sister Dew went goes on to ask how much better would it be if we all just assumed everyone else was doing the best they possibly could? Then we talked about what unites us. We listed several good things, but the one that stuck out in my mind the most was having a common goal. I then went off on a tangent in my mind thinking how all the little things that come up in life, little disagreements, personality differences, everything would not matter as much if everyone recognized a common goal. We as members of the church all have not just a common goal, but the EXACT same #1 Goal...to be worth to receive Eternal Life and help as many on the way do the same. I think if everyone can remember that common goal and then assume everyone else is doing their personal best to accomplish that goal (as sister Dew admonishes) then life will be a lot happier for everyone.

Now what does all of this have to do with Elder Holland's talk? Well obviously we are all going to make mistakes despite doing our personal best (that's why we need the atonement!!!!) and so we need to be ready to forgive ourselves and others, but just as importantly FORGET it! Move on!!! I had a great BOM teacher that "dared" us to put the principles taught to us in the BOM to work. He asked, "Do you believe in the power of the Atonement? To what extent do you believe that? Do you believe the power of the Atonement can wipe away Alma's sins? Do you believe the power of the Atonement can wipe away my sins? Do you believe the power of the Atonement can wipe away your own sins? Then live your live to prove that you believe that."

At our stake meeting we talked about gossiping. How its easy to justify it by thinking, "It's not gossip if its true." The speaker said how it can be so easy to just blurt out everything you know about a person when their name comes up, but we just need to keep it to ourselves. That's when wild tangent #2 came up in my head about how we really need to let other people get to know others on their own terms. Just because we had a certain experience with someone that might have left a sour taste in our mouths doesn't mean that person is always like that or that they can't change to be a better person and learn from their mistakes. Maybe it was an off day, or maybe they really are a mean rude person, but does that mean they can NEVER change. What if they day after that experience they had a "wake up call" and started making an effort to be better. If you warn people to stay away from them, or you yourself steer clear you are taking away that other persons ability to grow and develop as a person. (Please don't confuse that with trying to avoid or fix a repeat problem. If there is a problem fix it or give it space, but you can't just NEVER talk to that person again. That is something I have only recently learned.) Anyways. I'm mostly just writing all this to collect these thoughts that have been swirling around in my mind. I just thought Elder Hollands talk encompassed all of these things and his wording is much more eloquent.