In Zion, the grace and love of God abound. Yet at times, I find myself face-to-face with the sinful nature hidden deep within my soul—unable to overlook a brother or sister’s small mistake, quick to point out their faults instead of offering understanding. In those moments, I feel a deep sorrow, thinking, “I must have committed a grievous sin in heaven.” One day, I came across a Bible verse that opened my eyes and brought quiet conviction:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col 3:12–14
As God’s chosen children, we are called to be clothed in compassion, mercy, humility, gentleness, and patience. We are to forgive. And above all these virtues, we are to put on love, for love enables us to put all these virtues into practice.
I came to see that my lack of forgiveness and mercy stemmed from a lack of love. Our Heavenly Mother has forgiven us freely, though we are full of faults. She has shown us the perfect example of unconditional love. Realizing how little of that love I had shown to my brothers and sisters filled me with regret before God.
From now on, I will follow the example of our Heavenly Mother and the words of Scripture. I will add put on love over all else and become a young adult like the dew of the dawn who leads the way in completing the gospel of the kingdom with a heart full of grace.