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May 2007 Issue
By Danielle Ellis
Although as members of the Church of Jesus Christ we are all doing our level best to be good people, we still need reminders that everyone we meet is fighting a hard battle and could use a kind word. I remember a church talk a few years ago, which commented that in today’s world new members of the church may be “increasingly battered and scarred by sin.”
Those of us already in the Church need to bind up their wounds rather than judging. We need to welcome them. We need to know that even though converts are coming to the Lord and His truth, members of the Church they meet in wards and branches act as His surrogates.
Every unkind word, every rumor, every sidelong glance has a chance of squashing a seed of faith.
Whether the scars come from emotional or physical sources, tattoo parlors or other sources, they are irrelevant when we consider that each person, whether a member of the Church or not, is a precious child of our Father in Heaven.
Let us love them the same way Christ would love them, or the way we would love Him if He walked into our ward. For we know that deeds we do unto others are gifts to Him, which will bless us as well.
We received this letter after running last month’s follow-up to the Bridal Edition. This sweet sister illustrates the point perfectly.
Good Morning Sisters;
I read your editor’s letter yesterday about ‘the dress’ issue and I want you to know that it touched my heart….
It saddens me that the majority of your criticism came from church members, and yet I am not surprised. I see or hear it all the time, secretly or by way of a look.
You see I am a member of the church and I am also African American. And in a way I can be compared to the dress.
Some people in the church still look at me from the outside, and they find fault in my appearance or hue, therefore they begin to judge me by my sleeves. Sure they find me beautiful, and a child of God, but like the dress there are some flaws they are not ready to accept or maybe my sleeves are too short to be in this church.
When I became a member, the Lord and I talked about many things, and I told the Lord that although I heard some things about the church, it wasn’t of concern because this was between Him and me. I think he laughed at this statement, and yet he gave me a squeeze and said…’deal’. And to this day it has a great deal to do with my endurance, besides my testimony.
So when I read the part about the “un-Christlike comments, or how some need to be more sensitive to each other’s feelings, living more so with Christ-like love”… it made me give praise to Heavenly Father.
You see I saw a beautiful young lady, in a beautiful dress…nothing more or less. Even now I see that same beauty. If we would focus on God’s will for ourselves, focusing on what he desires of us to do, if we could pick the pebbles up in our own path, we will have less time to measure the size or length of other people’s sleeves….
I will always smile and think about your letter whenever I see a sleeveless dress or shirt on anyone, be he in the church or not.
I thank you for touching my heart, and sending amen towards heaven.
Your Sister in Christ
We can and we must watch ourselves, our thoughts and our actions and extend kindness every chance we get.
