As I began to despair, I thought back to the recent talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. His talk "Songs Sung and Unsung" was a powerful call for greater empathy. He reminded us that in order for us to truly be followers of Christ, we must first seek to love others and alleviate their suffering. He spoke of the guilt which comes as we speak of our own blessings while many of our brothers and sisters remain in the captivity of poverty and may I add discrimination, mental illness and other temporal burdens. We cannot faithfully sing of the blessings we've been given until we have honorably sought to care for others.
The part of Elder Holland's words that were most powerful to me, and which came to my mind as I thought of the recent hateful attacks, were those concerning the hope that Christ may be in the midst of complex societal issues. He said:
"someday I hope a great global chorus will harmonize across all racial and ethnic lines, declaring that guns, slurs, and vitriol are not the way to deal with human conflict. The declarations of heaven cry out to us that the only way complex societal issues can ever be satisfactorily resolved is by loving God and keeping His commandments, thus opening the door to the one lasting, salvific way to love each other as neighbors."
For those that are suffering, it may seem overly simplistic to say that the solution to their suffering is to love God and keep His commandments. While I myself have seen how the gospel can bless and change lives, I have also seen how suffering continues despite faithful living. But what I see in Elder Holland's words is not only a call for missionary work, but it is a call to love and live as the Savior did.
While on the earth, the Savior had one purpose: to call people to come unto him to be healed and to be saved. Christ did not only teach His gospel and the way of salvation but He showed how to live it by caring for the temporal needs of those around Him. He healed those who were sick, cared for the poor, and demonstrated that he was no respecter of persons. Put simply, He loved His brothers and sisters.
As followers of Christ, we are called upon to love and live as He did. We are to care for and empathize with those who are oppressed and those who suffer. As believers of God, we "might with surety hope for a better world." This hope is meant to be active and I do not believe it is just a promise of salvation in the next life. We are asked to work with God to serve others and help to build this "better world" while we are still on the earth. We promise to use our abilities and talents to build His Kingdom on the Earth through loving others as ourselves. I believe that a part of my purpose on this Earth is to love my brothers and sisters enough to do my part in ending the hate and the violence and the discrimination.
May we begin to listen to others with greater empathy. May we seek to end the damaging forces which keep people in physical, economic, or emotional bondage. May be do what we can to help build a better world.
