Judge not...

     Ladies and gentleman boys and girls! I am transfer 14! I am so old. I am like 90 and I have one bad hip to show for it haha;) but we got our transfer call and... I am staying! But my companion is leaving. I was so sad. We got along so well. I love him and will miss him a ton. I will see you soon Elder Barrett! 

     My new companion is Elder Anderson. He may be very small in stature but he has a big heart! I was in the same zone with him in Niigata. He is transfer 3 just like a Elder Barrett was so I am excited. It will be fun. The work goes on! 

     I talked about Elder Bednar's analogy a few weeks ago about how the fruit on the Tree of Life is the Atonement and repentance. And I talked about how some people are so scared when they sin or make a mistake, set the fruit (Atonement) down and turn from the tree. Scared that those that have stayed by the tree will turn and look as they return to the tree to reach and take another bite and repent. They are so scared that heads will turn and they will be judged by those by the tree. Now stop and look in the mirror with me for a moment. Honestly, look within yourself and think if there have been times that as a member, we may have judged another members actions for what they have done as they have fallen away, or sadly, even judged when they came back. We can't look at people through camera lenses. Looking through old photo albums full of our past images of them. People can change. That image we hold in our hand, very well might not be the same person we could be looking at before us. That's the Atonement. 

     The thought that came to me this week was are we--those who are standing by the tree--acting as those who are pointing from the building? Isn't there enough judging in the building that there shouldn't be any by the tree? The last thing we need is for those by the tree to look down on repentant hands, rather than lifting them up. Where are we standing? Whose side are we on? Do we stand with feet by the tree.. and our fingers pointing from the great and spacious building? Have we ever acted as the brother jealous of the returning prodigal son? Haven't we all had to humbly pick up that fruit that we so foolishly set down? The gospel is perfect, people aren't. Our judgements may stop the 1 from approaching the 99. 

Painting by Minerva Teichert

"If you think that your different 

because of the things that you've done

Remember all of the ninety and nine

Spent some time as the one."

     When the temptation to judge comes, please let us apply the two word sermon from President Uchtdorf. "Stop it!" It's the new year. People can change. Believe it in yourself and believe it in others. Believe Christ. It is so easy when we are struggling or have hardship to turn inward instead of outward and to misjudge, find fault, or to merely not think of others. I honestly don't know how but somehow we forget that those who we may be judging are 100% going through a trial of their own and we never know the full story. Reading the front cover and the summary on the back, never has and never will give a reader enough information to know the pages of that book. Don't read people, read the Book of Mormon haha. 

     Elder Bednar said, "Perhaps the greatest indicator of character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed, for example, in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward. If such a capacity is indeed the ultimate criterion of moral character, then the Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable character."

     Turning outward when it would be so easy to turn inward.. that is the true test of character. May we judge righteously!

Have a great week -

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken