Area Leadership Message
Loving All Children of God
It may seem difficult at times, and in various world situations, to love all of God’s children. We experience new people and new cultures coming into our societies. Most come in search of better and safer circumstances. This kind of movement among people has taken place throughout human history.
Are we better at welcoming people coming from different circumstances than people were before us? Are we better today at loving all of God’s children, regardless of who they are and what differences they may bring to our lives?
“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” It is a commandment that we “love one another,” and for those who succeed in doing so, there is a promised blessing: “he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him… And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
As we love all children of God, whichever circumstances they come from, whichever weaknesses or strengths they possess, whichever nationality, faith, color, and gender they have, we have the promise that the Spirit of the Lord will abide in us. In other words, a gift helping us to become more Christlike and helping us to do good to people around us the same way He would have done. Striving for this will help not only those we come to love, but will also bless ourselves with happier, more fulfilling lives. After we have done all we can, and tried to love all that we can, and everyone we can, He will step in and help us accomplish the rest, even to the point of loving those who might be our enemies.
We know from scripture that “perfect love casteth out all fear.” The same scriptural passage teaches us that if we love others the way the Savior does, we are “filled with charity, which is everlasting love,” and “all children are alike unto (us)”, and He loves us all with a perfect love.
What we may feel in terms of differences between ourselves and other children of God, is a situation we face only during our earthly lives. In the eternal perspective, things will be different. “Man, … was begotten and born of heavenly parents,” and we were all alike, and they have equal love for us, past, present, and future.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father. He loves us all, as He expects us to love each other.
As President Russell M. Nelson said, “When Jesus was on the earth, He constantly helped those who were left out, overlooked, or mistreated. As His followers, we must do the same! We believe in freedom, kindness, and fairness for all of God’s children.
We are all brothers and sisters, each one a child of a loving Father in Heaven. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites all to come to Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Every son and daughter of God deserves respect, no matter what their color or beliefs are. Let us show love for all of God’s children.”
A children’s song says:
“God loves all His children; He knows them by name.
The whole wide world over, His love is the same.
He blesses His children with gifts bright and fair.
The beauties of nature are signs that He cares.
God loves all His children; great blessings He sends.
We’re part of His fam’ly, and we can be friends.
His kindness and caring have helped me to see