Sabbath Devotional :: All Are Alike Unto God

Jesus washing feet of disciples — Albert Edelfelt: *Jesus Washing the Feet of His Disciples*
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the summer of 2020, that time of social distancing, many people I know were more active on social media — more active than either before or after. And they weren’t very nice about it.

There seemed to be three major issues creating intense divisions in our country that summer. As I saw the memes, posts, and comments shared by my local friends and noticed the voices they were choosing to amplify, I found myself an outsider in my own ward on these three major issues.

That’s fine with me. I do not mind having different opinions than my friends. It’s why I can be friends with you. It also gives me a chance to learn and grow and analyze my own views to see if they hold water under pressure.

So it wasn’t the difference of opinion that bothered me. It was the hate. My friends’ posts implied (or said directly) that if someone felt differently than they did, they must be stupid, evil, or out to destroy America.

I’m pretty sure none of that describes me.

One day, after scrolling through Facebook, I put down my phone, shook my head, and muttered under my breath, “I am so glad I don’t have to be in church with these people right now.”

Immediately, the Holy Ghost corrected me. The words came into my mind: “No. You need to be at church so you can remember how good ‘these people’ are.”

I was chastised. I chose to repent, or at least try to. I began to pray that we would be able to meet again as a ward and that I would be inspired to see my ward members’ goodness when we did. It was just a few weeks later we began to hold sacrament meeting as a ward (masked and socially distanced). I was able to hear testimony, see faith in action, and acknowledge the goodness of the people in my community. These are truly amazing people.

Just as a “perfect” Instagram family is an incomplete picture of reality, the hate and vitriol that we sometimes see online is an incomplete picture of the multi-dimensional people in our lives.

A talk given by Elder Robert C. Gay in General Conference in 2018 made a powerful impression on me. He talked about taking upon us the name of Christ and said the first way to do that is to “faithfully strive to see as God sees.”

He quoted Joseph Smith who said, “While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard,” for “His love [is] unfathomable.”

This story shared by Elder Gay sank into my heart. “A few years ago my older sister passed away. She had a challenging life. She struggled with the gospel and was never really active. Her husband abandoned their marriage and left her with four young children to raise. On the evening of her passing, in a room with her children present, I gave her a blessing to peacefully return home. At that moment I realized I had too often defined my sister’s life in terms of her trials and inactivity. As I placed my hands on her head that evening, I received a severe rebuke from the Spirit. I was made acutely aware of her goodness and allowed to see her as God saw her—not as someone who struggled with the gospel and life but as someone who had to deal with difficult issues I did not have. I saw her as a magnificent mother who, despite great obstacles, had raised four beautiful, amazing children. I saw her as the friend to our mother who took time to watch over and be a companion to her after our father passed away.

“During that final evening with my sister, I believe God was asking me, ‘Can’t you see that everyone around you is a sacred being?’”

At the time Elder Gay gave this talk, I was looking for confirmation that other people should stop judging my people who sin or struggle in public ways and instead welcome them into the fold. I felt that Elder Gay was speaking right to my heart.

I have believed and preached and taught acceptance, tolerance, and belonging. So, I was surprised to be called to repentance on the very thing that was so important to me. I was judging, rejecting, and dismissing my fellow saints because I thought their “sin” of having strong opinions and expressing them poorly on social media was unacceptable — and more unacceptable than my sins.

Elder Gay continued: “The Savior looked upon the Samaritan, the adulterer, the tax collector, the leper, the mentally ill, and the sinner with the same eyes. All were children of His Father. All were redeemable. . . . In the eyes of Christ, each soul is of infinite worth.”

Isn’t that beautiful? What modern labels that we use to describe people could we add to that list? We could certainly include both Democrat and Republican there. All are of infinite worth.

This has long been one of my very favorite scriptures: “And he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33).

The foundation of my personal testimony is that we are all children of God and that we are deeply, eternally loved. I have easily included people whom I see as vulnerable and in need of welcome into my circle. My experience of being corrected by the Holy Ghost expanded that circle of to include people who may not realize that they are vulnerable and in need of welcome. Perhaps their sin is unwittingly rejecting me and mine. Even so, the Savior sees them as redeemable and of infinite worth. He sees their goodness. He knows they are each sacred beings. If I want to take his name upon me, I need to learn to see them as he sees them.