Our Family Motto: "Just Love"

Some years ago, a woman came to me for some advice. We had known her for a long time and watched as a difficult marriage ended in divorce. She did the best she could with her children, but her youngest, a daughter was struggling and now found herself pregnant. I remember the anguish of this mother as she told me about her daughter and her concerns. "What am I going to do with her?" she asked. Without a conscience thought, the following words came out of my mouth:, "Just love her, sin has its own consequences, just love."

Later that night these word would not leave me....just love. Sin does have its own cosequenses, and I knew that over the course of my life, love many times had given way to the passing of judgement. Wounds that could have been healed with love, had been made to sting all the more, because I had chosen a lower path.

For several days, Raye and I discussed the exchange I had with this sister about her child. We decided to incorperatre what we had learned and make it our family motto. We discussed how true desciplship comes not in loving those in whom we see good, that's easy, but in loving those in whom we see the "not so good." With our own family members and others, we have learned that pursuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned coupled with kindess, pure knowledge, charity and virtuous living (D&C 121) are the real keys. I really appreciated Pres Uchtdorf's talk in conference on love and discipleship. http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1117,00.html)

And I am really grateful for that moment a few years ago, when, while counseling another, I was instructed as well...."SIN HAS ITS OWN CONSEQUENCES....JUST LOVE"