Lesson for March 18, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Camille Maynard on a talk by Elder W. Craig Zwick, “Lord, Wilt Thou Cause That My Eyes May Be Opened.” Camille started the lesson by discussing what we learned from past weeks abut inviting the Spirit and seeing good in others and how previous lessons relate to this lesson. Sometimes if we only see things from our point of view, we don’t see things as they truly are. We must see things through the eyes of our Savior, because we rarely have the knowledge of everything as they are. It can be difficult to see all we should be seeing. When we have the eternal perspective we have the chance to see things more as they are. People are on different spectrums. God made us all that way and there may be certain things that are valued by God that we don’t possess. They look at commandments in different ways, not necessarily wrong. The way we can creatively look at each other is good for all of us. We want to value others and find the good in them. Perhaps there are valid reasons. It might be good to try to understand the backstory. The times that we are filled with anger, it might be ourselves that is at fault. If we can approach others with love, we can feel more love. Sometimes it is pride that makes us feel others need to get on board with what we think is right. We can ask them what they’re going through. Sometimes we think we know what is going on with someone, yet there may be other things going on. Elder Zwick said he interviewed a young man on his mission who wanted to go home. Each weekly interview brought up the same problem. Elder Zwick said he asked the young man what was wrong and found that the missionary didn’t know how to read. Elder Zwick found he needed to listen. Maybe we may think we know what is going on and we need to ask. If you feel like a judge, take the opportunity to serve that person. Help instead of judge. Then you’ll learn to love the person and serve others. Serving people helps you love them. We can choose to serve. We can’t get to know everyone, so if we can get to know people who are different from who we are we will have the experience necessary to help more people. What a blessing it is to learn what God wants us to do. Elisha woke up one day to find an army surrounding their city. Elisha said not to worry for those that were with them were more than those that were attacking. He could see the people they had to help. When we’re helping others, we should assume people are doing the best they can. Elder Zwick discussed differences. He said that loving others does not mean to accept the things that are wrong that they believe. Accepting other people who believe something other than what we believe means we can be loving and kind to them. We can accept people without condoning what they do. We can be kind to others, eve if we’re not alike. We can all love each other and learn from them. Experience the fun things and understand that the strange things they do are their choice. The scripture in 1 Samuel 16 when it says that the Lord looks upon the heart and not with what people look like. When we have Jesus Christ in our lives, our eyes can be opened. If we do keep Christ-centered, we can be blessed with the ability to treat people better. When the Lord talked with the woman who committed adultery, he was kind. He didn’t want her to sin again, but he was kind. elder Zwick told about a boy who died when the all-terrain vehicle flipped over on him. The boy’s family got his cell phone and a reminder popped up on the phone to remember to make Christ the focus of his day. What a blessing for his family to know he felt that way. A sister wrote down everything negative about her husband, but when she took the sacrament, she felt like she should delete all those negative feelings. It took some fort, but she did and realized that those feelings didn’t matter.Sometimes it comes down to letting go, even if we recognize what the problem is. We do have the ability with the Lord’s help to we people as the Lord sees them if we ask for the Lord’s lessing.