The Great Measure of Discipleship

This was such an excellent talk to read! It made me think and reminded me that I should always be working on viewing people in the way that the lord would view them.
Brother Southwick in his talk said this:
What I will propose is that (1) the failure to see others properly is widespread. You and I do it all the time. (2) Most of us are not even aware that we do it. And (3) finally, and most importantly, failing to see others for what they truly are makes us less like the Savior.
As I read through this part in his talk I took a minute to stop and think about each of the three things that he proposed. I wanted to be sure that I agreed with his statements, and I completely do. I thought about how I view others and about how often I think thoughts that would not be in accordance with the way the Savior sees each of His children. This hit pretty close to home for me, because last night I went to sleep feeling rather discouraged about a conversation I had been having earlier in the day with my cousin. We had been talking about people in her new married student ward that she was in, and had, I am really embarrassed to admit, began laughing and talking about how weird some people can be. While we did not name specific names of people, or talk really mean about anyone, we did have a good laugh at the expense of some of them. I felt so discouraged that night about my behavior, and I just kept thinking of the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants 88:121 that says “Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.”
When we perceive people as “weird” or “less than” we are not truly allowing ourselves to be disciples of Christ. The Lord sincerely and wholly loves all of his children, and he wants each of us to be loved and happy. If we are not treating others in a manner that is loving and considerate, then we are stunting our ability to become like the savior and to be a His disciple.
The way that we treat others tends to be a reflection of how we view them. As we strive to view people in a positive way and in the way the Lord sees them then we are more likely to treat them in a way that they deserve to be treated. As I read through this talk I was reminded of a video that we were shown in high school seminary that really made a strong impression on me. The video was about seeing people through the Lord’s eyes, and seeing the potential that is in everyone. The first scene that was played out in the movie was of a young girl who was making the wrong decisions, and was struggling in school and at home. Many of the people around her judged her as a failure and as a screw up. The other girls in her Young Women class tried to steer clear of her, and did not make an effort to befriend her because she was different. Then the movie went back and replayed the scene that had been presented, only this time it was presented from the perspective of a girl who chose to see this young girl as a child of God and as someone with potential, and chose to make the effort to reach out to this girl and be her friend. As the struggling young woman was looked at as a daughter of God, she began to realize her own potential and she began to grow and become something that others had not thought she could become. We never know when we will say or do something that will be just what someone needs to hear in order to help them reach their potential. And, in order for us to say those things that could help someone else, we must first be thinking them. It would be very difficult to go straight from thinking unkind negative thoughts about someone, to speaking to them in such a way that could truly bless them, and help them draw closer to God.
The “object” portion of brother Southwick’s talk was very interesting to read. The object that I thought of was a pencil. Pencils are not really useful unless they are needed to write something down on paper. I have had times when I felt like a friend or two viewed me sort of like a pencil; unless they needed me to do them a favor, they didn’t really bother to be my friend. This is something I have really tried to not become guilty of myself.
This talk was wonderful and I felt like I gained new insight on this topic. I think that it is possible to put on a show, and appear to be kind and sweet to others, but the true measure of our conversion and of our hearts is how we quietly think and feel about others. When nobody else knows our thoughts and our feelings, do we still feel and think things that are kind and loving? Thoughts and feelings that are Christ-like?