Despite any differences we have the ability to be one when we share some common ground. What we share in the church should be much more unifying than the stories of unity due to a shared love of sport and country.
We have no right to portray anybody, especially within our church, as a badly finished product.
Will Savannah keep skipping church because of the disunity in the MiaMaids?
In June 1994, I was anxiously driving back home from work to watch on TV our national soccer team play in the World Cup. Soon after I started my journey, I saw from afar on the sidewalk a man quickly moving forward in a wheelchair, which I noticed was decorated with our Brazilian flag. I knew then he was also going home to watch the game!
When our paths crossed and our eyes met, for a fraction of a second, I felt strongly united with that man! We were going in different directions, didn’t know each other, and had clearly different social and physical conditions, but our same passion for soccer and love for our country made us feel like one in that very moment! …
In the Church, in spite of our differences, the Lord expects us to be one! He said in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”
As we all enter a meetinghouse to worship as a group, we should leave behind our differences, including race, social status, political preferences, and academic and professional achievements, and instead concentrate on our common spiritual objectives.
I remember that feeling when crossing paths with someone who had a “PRO” sticker.
These things that we do collectively help create a strong sense of oneness within the congregation.
However, what really determines, solidifies, or destroys our unity is how we act when we are apart from our Church members. As we all know, it is inevitable and normal that eventually we will talk about each other.
Depending on what we choose to say about one another, our words will either have our “hearts knit together in unity,” as Alma taught those he baptized in the Waters of Mormon, or they will erode the love, trust, and goodwill that should exist among us.
There are comments that subtly destroy unity, such as “Yes, he’s a good bishop; oh, but you should have seen him when he was a young man!”
A more constructive version of this might be “The bishop is so good, and he has grown so much in maturity and wisdom over the years.”
Oftentimes we put permanent labels on people by saying something like “Our Relief Society president is a lost cause; she is so stubborn!” In contrast, we might say, “The Relief Society president has been less flexible lately; maybe she’s going through some difficult times. Let’s help her and sustain her!”
I myself also witnessed many of my friends from Primary not remaining faithful in their youth because their parents were always finding fault with those inside the Church.
Will we yet see fallout from the many criticisms that Mom has shared with the kids over the years? We may get lucky on that point by moving.
Brothers and sisters, I testify that as we decide to be one with the members and leaders of the Church—both when we’re assembled together and especially when we are apart—we will also feel more perfectly united with our Heavenly Father and the Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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