It would be pretty easy to live a righteous life all by myself.
Well, maybe not super easy.
But at least, I could do it.
But some of my highest highs and my lowest lows in life have come from interacting with other people.
I’ve laughed til my belly aches and cried in moments of vulnerability with good friends.
And I’ve endured awkward moments and painful misunderstandings with God friends, too.
I’ve experienced more love than I ever thought possible with my family members.
And I’ve had to practice patience and forgiveness more than I ever thought possible with my family members.
I’ve been uplifted and edified by things that my fellow ward members have said.
And I’ve been shocked and frustrated by things that my fellow ward members have said.
I’ve had sweet, kind interactions with strangers at parks, stores, or schools.
And I’ve had terribly rude interactions with strangers at parks, stores, and schools.
Getting outside of ourselves is where life gets extra messy, but also extra beautiful.
And I think that’s why the Lord reminds the Saints as they prepared to move to Ohio that they HAD to look out for each other.
They couldn’t just each take the journey on their own with their own resources.
Well, maybe a few of them could have made it in their own that way, but they would have left a lot of people in the dust in New York.
And so the Lord cautioned in D&C 38:27, “If ye are not one ye are not mine”.
We NEED each other.
The second great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves.
And so if the adversary can get us to just think about ourselves all the time, he’s won half the battle.
We have to be one.
We have to experience the messes that come from meeting new people, awkward moments, and misunderstandings so that we can also practice living the gospel in action.
Unity and oneness can’t begin if we don’t even know each other.
And if we are not one, then we are not His.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
