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Patterns in the Scriptures: Ministering to the One
Searching the scriptures taught me about building unity in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Like many of us, I’ve recently watched my social media newsfeed fill up with posts and comments from people responding to things going on in our world today. Many of these posts are about discrimination and other injustices.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know that we are all children of heavenly parents with equal and infinite worth. We can strive to be inclusive and to create a place of belonging for each of God’s children. As Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “We all can be instruments in the Lord’s hands and act compassionately toward those in need, just as Jesus did.”1
The more I’ve studied the scriptures, the more I’ve noticed that there is a discernible pattern of the Lord acting compassionately toward all and drawing attention to the needs of specific individuals in unique circumstances as He invited them to follow Him. As we study and apply this pattern, we can each show greater love to those around us and build unity in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We Can See Others as the Savior Does
If we look at the Savior’s life, we can see so many examples of how He ministered to all, regardless of culture, race, beliefs, worthiness, and other life circumstances. Jesus Christ has perfect love for others and the ability to see everyone’s infinite worth as children of Heavenly Father. We can learn to offer His charity to all others through His example.
No matter who He taught, Christ reminded each person of their infinite worth and offered them His pure, perfect love. A poignant example includes the Samaritan woman at the well. Samaritans had been feuding with the Jews for hundreds of years. And even though He was a Jew Himself, the Savior looked on her good heart and taught her and treated her no differently than anyone else—as a daughter of God (see John 4).
Other examples of His perfect ministry are His healing of the woman with the issue of blood who was considered “unclean” (see Luke 8); His love and healing given to the 10 lepers who had been shunned by society (see Luke 17); His compassion toward the woman caught in adultery, whom many had been ready to stone (see John 8); and His pardoning of the Roman soldiers who mocked, stabbed, and crucified Him (see Luke 23).
And the list goes on. If we search the scriptures, we can see the pattern set by the Lord to show us how each of Heavenly Father’s children is of infinite worth—a pattern that we too can follow. We can rely on the Savior to help us see each person by their divine worth. While the Savior never condoned sin, He set a perfect example of loving kindness and invited all to repent of their sins and come unto Him. By following His example, we can offer the same compassion and inclusivity to those who live different lifestyles than our own. We can withhold judgment and show love to those who make choices that go against the commandments and pray for opportunities to help them come unto Christ. We can even forgive and show kindness to those who may not be kind to us.
We Can Minister to the One
As God’s children, we each have unique cultures, experiences, and needs. And by recognizing and ministering to our fellow brothers and sisters of all backgrounds, we can follow in the footsteps of our Savior. Like Him, we can take time to see, understand, love, listen to, and minister to the one. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “We are to be our brother’s keeper. We cannot neglect this commission given by our Savior. We must be concerned for the one.”2
If you find yourself needing some help in recognizing the worth of all souls, turn to the scriptures, turn to the Savior’s example, turn to the words of living prophets and apostles—because that’s where you’ll be reminded that the worth of each soul is great in the sight of God (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).
As we strive to invite all to come unto Christ and uphold the inclusiveness of the gospel, let’s not forget to support one another and recognize the beautiful variety of experiences, cultures, and testimonies that make up the kingdom of God.