As I recently planned a stake activity with some youth, I asked them what lesson they thought the girls attending that future activity would need to hear.
Immediately, I was bombarded with responses that all sounded very similar:
The girls needed to learn their self-worth and true identity.
The Lord invites us to look at the people around us and “Let thy love be for them as for thyself.” (D&C 112:11)
We need to love others, but we also need to take the time to love ourselves.
To trust that God loves us exactly as we are, which means we can, too.
To be empathetic and understanding to ourselves, and to others.
In my mind, it fits perfectly with the Lord’s earlier command to “be thou humble” in D&C 112:10.
I’ve learned that true humility is recognizing that ALL of us, every single one of us, including you, are perfectly loved by God.
No one is greater. No one is lesser.
And putting anyone on a different spot other than the equal line that we are all standing on, is pride. The opposite of humility.
Thinking that your bishop is more loved by God than you are because of his calling, is pride.
Thinking that you are more loved by God because you are a member of the restored Church of Jesus Christ than your neighbor down the street, is pride.
Thinking that you have failed God and that you are completely out of the reach of His love, is pride.
Thinking that it doesn’t matter whether or not you keep up on small spiritual habits because you can handle life without all of that, is pride.
Pride is believing anything other than the fact that we are all equally loved by God and that we are all His children.
And humility is getting everyone, including yourself, back on that same playing field. Recognizing that God loves all of His children equally.
Let your love for others be the same as the love for yourself.
And whether that means you need to work on realizing your exact relationship with God a little better, or recognizing other people’s relationship with God better, or maybe a little bit of both…
Then you are following the counsel to be thou humble.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
