Community of Christ and fellow people,

Today I would like to speak about a commandment that has been on my mind and in my heart for many years.

It is simple to say, yet sometimes difficult to live.

The Savior taught:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.”

When I was younger, I thought loving one another meant agreeing with one another. As I have grown older, I have come to understand that loving one another often means respecting one another.

Respecting another person’s agency.

Respecting another person’s stewardship.

Respecting another person’s home, family, and journey through life.

One of the greatest gifts our Eternal Father gave us was agency.

Before we came to this earth, we were given the opportunity to choose.

We chose to come here.

We chose to learn.

We chose to grow.

We chose to follow Jesus Christ.

That gift of agency did not end when we came to earth. It continues today.

Every day we choose our words.

Every day we choose our actions.

Every day we choose whether we will build peace or contention.

Sometimes we may disagree with our neighbors.

Sometimes we may disagree with our family members.

Sometimes we may disagree with leaders, governments, or institutions.

Yet disagreement does not remove our responsibility to love one another.

Christ did not teach us to control one another.

Christ taught us to serve one another.

Christ taught us to forgive.

Christ taught us to be kind.

Christ taught us to lift one another.

One lesson I have learned is that boundaries are not the opposite of love.

Boundaries help make love possible.

A healthy family has boundaries.

A healthy friendship has boundaries.

A healthy community has boundaries.

When we respect another person’s stewardship, we show respect for them as a child of God.

The earth itself was given to us in stewardship.

The scriptures teach that the earth is the Lord’s.

None of us truly own it forever.

We are caretakers for a season.

Some care for a small apartment.

Some care for a house.

Some care for a farm.

Some care for a desert acre filled with native plants and wildlife.

Whatever stewardship has been entrusted to us, we have a responsibility to care for it and leave it better than we found it.

I often think about those who came before us.

Parents.

Grandparents.

Pioneers.

Builders.

Teachers.

Farmers.

Veterans.

They left us roads, homes, schools, churches, stories, and examples.

Many sacrificed so that we could enjoy blessings we now take for granted.

If we forget their stories, we risk forgetting their lessons.

One lesson they understood well was that communities thrive when neighbors treat one another with kindness.

Not because they always agree.

But because they recognize one another’s humanity.

We live in a world that often encourages division.

Political division.

Economic division.

Religious division.

Cultural division.

Yet the Savior calls us to something higher.

He calls us to see one another as children of God.

Not projects.

Not enemies.

Not obstacles.

Children of God.

When we truly understand that principle, our words begin to change.

Our actions begin to change.

Our hearts begin to change.

I have learned that loving one another does not require us to surrender our beliefs.

It does not require us to abandon truth.

It does not require us to ignore wrongdoing.

But it does require us to remember that every person we meet is walking a path we may not fully understand.

The Savior saw people individually.

He saw the woman at the well.

He saw Zacchaeus in the tree.

He saw the blind man.

He saw the leper.

He saw the widow.

He saw the children.

He saw people who were often overlooked by others.

And He loved them.

That same Savior sees us.

He knows our joys.

He knows our sorrows.

He knows our victories.

He knows our struggles.

Most importantly, I want people to know that Jesus Christ lives.

He lives today.

His influence is real.

His teachings are real.

His example is real.

I know that when I choose patience over anger, I feel His influence.

When I choose service over selfishness, I feel His influence.

When I choose forgiveness over resentment, I feel His influence.

My body is His temple.

My home is a place where I strive to invite His Spirit.

My family is part of an eternal family.

I believe that those who have gone before us continue to influence our lives through their examples, teachings, and sacrifices.

I believe that families are meant to endure.

I believe that Zion is built one family, one act of service, and one act of kindness at a time.

As we go forward this week, I hope we will remember the Savior’s commandment:

Love one another.

Respect one another.

Serve one another.

Forgive one another.

And remember that every person we meet is a child of God with divine worth and eternal potential.

I testify that our Eternal Father lives.

I testify that Jesus Christ lives.

I testify that He is the Prince of Peace and the Savior of the world.

And I say these things in the name of he, Jesus Christ, amen.