We all rock, we are all an awesome person. If we really got to know everyone, individually, we would see how special we all are. “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10)
I haven’t posted for a while because I have been adjusting to a much longer commute for my husband. Also, our family had a close friend pass away. My husband and I were involved with caring for him daily the last few weeks of his life and helping with the funeral. That experience prompted this post because around the time of our friend’s death I heard several times (and said myself) something to the effect of, “What a neat, awesome guy Jim was.”
My Friend Was “An Awesome Person”
Jim Nichols. July 14, 1934-January 23, 2019
James “Jim” Nichols, was not very well known or popular. We met him one Sunday at church about 13 years ago. Jim didn’t attend a lot over the years, but he was drawn to my family and we got to know him quite well. He would come to our house and tell us stories about his family, experiences from the army, and jobs he did throughout his life. He told us about abuses and tragedies he endured. We asked him about all these things too. Over the years he spent hours in our home, we shared meals, and gave each other gifts. But, to the majority of people in our community he was only a quiet, poor, elderly man.
Everyone is “An Awesome Person”
I started to think that if we were to get to know anyone we would have a similar experience. We could grow to admire them for who they are. Everyone has good things they’ve done, talents, and stories. There is much good in you, me, and everyone.
Personality versus Worth
I want to clarify that our talents and the things we do don’t make us “awesome”, in a sense of incredibleness, but they do make us individuals. “I am awesome and amazing because I am a child of God.” “I am an individual because I write, paint, and budget.”
Does a person with a large amount of talents and contributions have more value to society? Yes, they may be more useful to society, but God doesn’t need any of us to do His work. He could do it but, He allows us to serve Him in different roles for our own good. I believe this makes us all equal to Him in our usefulness. If we are all equally valuable before God, should we all be equally valuable to each other? Yes.
There are a couple major differences I see and they are not in worth or awesomeness, but in happiness and safety.
Happiness
Our different talents and skills don’t make us more amazing or extraordinary than someone else. The talents and skills themselves are awesome and they are from God for His purposes. But, I do think we find more joy the greater our capacities are. We also feel happiness in growth and progress. Do you agree?
If a homeless person on the street is trying just as hard as the mayor of the town to serve and progress, will he feel the same satisfaction and happiness in life? Probably not. I have seen many poor and disabled people who struggle and suffer a great deal in life. But, I do believe those people will get an even greater reward from God because of something called the law of compensation. This means that God compensates for any unfairness either in or after this life. Therefore, I believe those who do their best, but suffer heartache and misery will have a greater reward after this life.
Sometimes a Person’s Faults Make it Hard for Themselves and Others to See That They Are “An Awesome Person.”
Just as we all have talents and a list of good things we’ve done, we also all have weaknesses, shortcomings, and past sins. Complaining, being negative, being rude, talking too much, controlling, stealing, abusing others physically or emotionally: these are hard things to look past. This brings me to the idea of safety.
Awesome Versus Safe
Even though we are all awesome this doesn’t mean we are all safe to be around. As individuals we set our boundaries and judge wisely how much we will let certain people into our life and how much we’ll go into theirs.
My husband talks to strangers on the street a lot more than I do because he is physically safer than I am in that scenario. I would love to get to know the local homeless the way he does. He sees them all as individuals because he knows their names and stories.
I talk to people who are emotionally unsafe more than my husband does because I am better about detaching with love, saying no to things I don’t feel comfortable with, and not taking things personally.
Because of Jesus Christ We Can Focus on the Good in People (Including Ourselves)
Jesus Christ helps people be their true selves— awesome. Yes, we all have bad things we’ve done and weakness we deal with. But, He forgives us of our sins and makes up for all our weaknesses as we have faith in Him. Because of Christ we can repent and change for the better. (I talked about repentance under the section “When You are not Using Good Boundaries” in the post How to Have Unity With Your Spouse and Children)
If a person is NOT seeking the Lord and His help, we can trust that the Lord is seeking the individual. God’s angels work just as hard as Satan’s demons to persuade and influence us. Everyone (and their faults and talents) are in God’s hands. Afterall, He is the most truly Awesome one. ”For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial…” (Deuteronomy 10:17)
So we can detach with love from the sins and problems of “sinners” and those we think don’t care about becoming better. Then, as we associate with them as far as we feel is safe, we are free to focus on the good in them and give the rest to God.
The Exceptions to “We Are All An Awesome Person”
The worst criminals on earth cannot be fully redeemed for their gross crimes. “no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). “Those who turn from the light and truth of the gospel; who give themselves up to Satan; who enlist in his cause… thereby become his children…” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Sin Unto Death, p.737)
“Murderers are forgiven eventually but only in the sense that all sins are forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost; they are not forgiven in the sense that celestial salvation is made available to them. (Matt. 12:31-32; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.356-357) After they have paid the full penalty for their crime, they shall go on to a telestial inheritance. (Rev. 22:15)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Murderers, p.520)
Sometimes it is obvious who these people are, but in most cases, it would be best to leave the judgment to God.
Judge Boundaries, Not People
What about when I am faced with a person in a situation that does not make me feel good? I may need to analyze the situation, but I don’t have to analyze the person. For example, if a friend is rude to me I could think about how to establish the boundary that I don’t allow people to treat me like that. I could say, “I respond to people who talk to me calmly and politely” instead of “you are rude”. If a clerk has made an error I could say, “This error occurred, what can we do about it?” Instead of, “That is a lazy employee.” Sometimes we just need to give the person a chance to explain themselves or give us more information.
If we aren’t safe around a person we should still care about them, pray for them, and help them as we feel prompted to. Furthermore, we do all we can to set up boundaries that make us comfortable and we commit the person to God (the same way we put ourselves in God’s hands). It is important to remember that we are not responsible for other people’s problems, faults, or happiness. Rather, we are responsible for our own problems, happiness, and to show equal respect to all people. That is a task big enough to keep us all striving.
How Does the Belief That We are All “An Awesome Person” Affect Behavior?
I see everyone as an equal: homeless people, criminals, politicians, church leaders, administrators, doctors, neighbors, telemarketers, and clerks at stores. This belief has made me more respectful of all people. There is less judgmental thought in my mind and heart.
In conclusion, we are all totally awesome. We all rock and are “the children of the Lord your God,” Deut. 14:1
Please comment your thoughts on the subject.