Finding the Godly in Others

Awhile back I had an awesome conversation with one of my good friends in my graduate program. We met to eat lunch together and he wanted to talk religion (something I LOVE to do!). We got to talking about our personal believes about the nature of God. He talked about the concepts of an organic Godly presence that emanates from the ground, or from within us each as individuals and compared this to the idea of a transcendent God - one who is omniscient, omnipresent, and lords over us humans here on earth. He has a hard time believing in a transcendent God, and says he feels we all have part of the essence of God within us. Then he said something that struck me as very profound. He says that he likes to look for the Godly in others. Wouldn't that be cool if we all did that? What if instead of looking for faults we tried to find what was wonderful in each other? What if instead of assuming the worst we believed that, in general, people have good intentions? I think that would be amazing.

Moments like that remind me of a concept that President Gordon B. Hinckley (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1995-2008) taught multiple times: "We, in effect, simply say to others, 'Bring all the good that you have and let us see if we can add to it.'" click here for full talk I love this reminder that we all have good to share with each other.

Personally, I believe that God is our Father. We are all His children. He loves each of us, individually and personally. I believe He does know all. I do not believe in a wrathful, vengeful God that seeks to punish human beings. Rather, I believe God's love for us is manifest in His gift of direction in the form of commandments - which have inescapable consequences, of which we have been warned (there will be more on this very soon, I've been thinking about choices and consequences A LOT lately). I also believe there is something Godly to be found in everyone.