Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior’s. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ empowered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellowmen.
Joseph Smith was once told by an elderly woman, “Mr. Smith, I don’t believe in your religion, but you sure are kind,” to which the young prophet responded, “Thank you mam, but as it turns out—kindness is my religion.” Was kindness not the central message of Jesus? Did he not labor his entire life to get this message into our heads? Into our hearts? Should we not always look for opportunities to serve, help, and uplift a brother or sister in need?
I worry if sometimes we get caught in proclaiming our love for others, and what we believe is right, without assimilating these things deep within our hearts and souls so that we might truly behave according to what we preach. When there is a gap between profession and practice, our hope to do any good in the world falls to pieces.
Some intellectuals do not seem to grasp this point. I know from my experience in the Mormon Church. I have seen good friends of mine fall away from membership because they are more consumed with talking-the-talk than walking-the-walk. And what does this “walk” imply? It implies feeling the life-pulse of an imperfect congregation and still upholding the active responsibility to remain present, and make it better than it currently stands.
These friends of mine, some would argue, had approached religion as consumers, asking “What has religion done for me?” Did they not want to accept the opportunity for service and self-challenge? Had they neglected the central theme of helping our neighbors as ourselves? Had they not burrowed “deep into [their] hearts [a] motivation to love and serve…like unto the Savior”?
What is to be done with these friends of mine? Who will reach them?
They are not bad people. They are wonderfully smart, kind, sensitive souls living in a world that perpetually tugs and competes for their attention. They, like me, pick and choose their battles to the best of their abilities. They are in need of someone who will listen to them—accept them for who they are—and not judge them from a distance. They are in need messengers, sent from the mountains, who can appropriately speak their language without pretense.
Put another way, these friends of mine are in need of those who will finally practice true religion—a religion of kindness.
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