on living with compassion

yesterday (10.27.14) something called #ERLC2014 happened. & i saw a lot about it on twitter, & it caused some thoughts. 
[disclaimer: i don't really know what it is; my opinions have been formed solely off of minimal research & what i've seen on twitter. but this isn't really about them specifically as much as compassionate Christianity in general. ]

First of all, I am firmly convinced that God wants us to feel connected to each other & that the more connected we feel the more kindness & understanding we show. We all know someone with a particular struggle or experience, & if we don't think we do, we just don't know about them yet. Suicide, mental illness, disability, LGBTQ people, drug/alcohol abuse, violence, tragedy... life affects all of us at some point. *

furthermore, it IS possible to show compassion without compromising conviction. In fact, it's essential. this is so important to understand. too often i hear people, esp. those with religious conviction, say things that essentially boil down to "it's true love to tell people that they're sinners if that's the truth. love is telling people the truth, even if they don't want to hear it."

um, no.

In light of all that, a brief review of this seemed timely: 
[emphasis added]

"In any event, we should be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or non-belief, and differences in sexual orientation."

"We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs."

[this means not excluding them. this means actually listening to them & not presuming to know how they're feeling.]

"Surely we can teach our children values & standards of behavior without having them distance themselves or show disrespect to any who are different."

"We challenge all... to avoid bullying, insults, or language and practices that deliberately inflict pain on others. All of these violate the Savior’s command to love one another." 
[& i would add, work on your languages & practices so that they don't inflict pain on others, even if it's not deliberate. of course you can't control others' reactions, but you can try to be sensitive to others' feelings & experiences.]

Following the Savior’s example, we can show loving-kindness and still be firm in the truth.

"Everyone, independent of his or her decisions and beliefs, deserves our kindness and consideration." 
[source]

"The Prophet Joseph Smith warned us to "beware of self-righteousness" and to enlarge our hearts toward all men and women until we feel "to take them upon our shoulders."
In the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no place for ridicule, bullying, or bigotry."

[source]

Compassion essentially means "to feel with." To be experiencing what the other person is feeling, as much as possible. It's an extremely Christlike way to be.

Stopping to consider how a person feels, or how you would feel in their position is vastly important... & Christlike. 
If we're ever going effect change, there needs to be a level of understanding that only comes through sincere & loving compassion. 
It's not always comfortable or easy, but that's not what Christ has called us to when He says "Come, follow Me." 

As we strive for compassion & personal understanding, we become more like our Savior, & more of who He needs us to be.

[alma 7:11-13]

I'm not perfect in this - no one is. But being a Christian - a follower of Christ - means that we're trying.

"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, & celebrate those differences." // audre lorde // words to think about

further evidence that my mom was/is the best : 
if it wasn't hurting anyone, she let us do what we wanted.

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this post does a better job of explaining how i feel about sin vs sinner, etc, if you're curious

follow along on twitter

* i am NOT equating mental illness / suicide to being LGBTQ. not at all. i'm just pointing out that it's one of those things a lot of people don't expect to affect them or their loved ones until it does. & it can be difficult to deal with.