tangent

I received an email yesterday morning informing me of my acceptance to a summer internship in Switzerland.  That was the start of what I know will be a beautiful week as well as a wonderful experience.  

I will be working for Caux- Initiatives of Change.  I'm pretty stoked to say the least.  The company is a Swiss foundation that works "to promote peace, prevent conflicts, build trust and encourage intercultural dialogue and ethical conduct in business."

A lot of people have had doubts about what I am studying but, as I have progressed throughout my undergraduate education, I have realized the importance of what I am learning.  There is nothing more important in life than building a relationship with God and with those we interact with.  I believe that understanding how we interact, communicate, and how we develop meaning are the keys to becoming more Christ-like.  We develop love, charity and empathy through the knowledge of each other.  Call me crazy but, I know we can better build the Kingdom of God when we have a desire to see everyone on this earth as children of God who live and interact with each other based on our own personal beliefs and viewpoints.  

A Zion community requires a people who are "of one heart and one mind".   It disturbs me when I hear how absolute people are in their viewpoints of the world.  My belief is that the gospel is true and that my life should be lived in accordance to that belief.  

I recently read a  a talk by Dalin H. Oaks which really hit home for me.  He says that we should "stop murmuring and build. Remember that one of the worst means of tearing down an individual is slander. It is one of the most poisonous weapons that the evil one uses. Backbiting and evil speaking throw us into the class of malefactors rather than the class of benefactors.”  If we can't love, we "have the spirit of faultfinding, of pointing out the weaknesses and failings of others in a destructive manner, that never comes as the result of the companionship of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father and is always harmful."  I don't mean to say I am perfect at this, because I am not.  But through what I am learning, I am trying harder to realize that everyone has their own path to follow.  It is our job to understand that through our differences we can still find love and respect.

Dalin H. Oaks goes on to say that, "Our Father in Heaven has not compelled us to think the same way on every subject or procedure. As we seek to accomplish our life’s purposes, we will inevitably have differences with those around us—including some of those we sustain as our leaders. The question is not whether we have such differences, but how we manage them. What the Lord has said on another subject is also true of the management of differences with his leaders: “It must needs be done in mine own way.” We should conduct ourselves in such a way that our thoughts and actions do not cause us to lose the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord."  We are to build the Kingdom of God and be "in the world but not of the world".  Understanding our differences and focusing on our similarities, will allow us to come together, build peace and establish Christ's Kingdom.  

"Those who govern their thoughts and actions solely by the principles of liberalism or conservatism or intellectualism cannot be expected to agree with all of the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As for me, I find some wisdom in liberalism, some wisdom in conservatism, and much truth in intellectualism—but I find no salvation in any of them."

Our job is to lift, build, serve and "love our neighbor as ourself".  I'm thankful that my understanding of this topic is growing through my studies.  I'm excited for the opportunity I will have this summer to continue on my own path of progression and becoming more like my Savior Jesus Christ.