Just Be Nice

Have you noticed what I've noticed lately?

It seems like some people have forgotten how to just be nice.

How to forgive others when they make a mistake.

To not be so easily offended by imperfect people, because after all, we are all imperfect, right?

Now don't read too much into this post.  I have not had a personal experience with someone not being nice or being offended or anything like that.  I have just been more aware of my surroundings lately- in my community, the nation, the world- and it brought me back to a talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf at this last General Conference.

The talk was entitled "The Merciful Obtain Mercy".

If you haven't heard it or read it, please do so.  If you haven't heard it or read it for a while, please do it again.  Even if you do not share my faith, I know you will appreciate and love the words that President Uchtdorf shared with us that day.

Thanks to Pinterest (once again) I came across a couple of posters that someone has created with two of the points in this talk that I love.

We have to take a stand for "niceness".  I fear that we sometimes get too wrapped up in the way we think things should happen, that we forget to be patient and nice when things don't happen that way.  We have to remember that we are all in the same boat here.  We are all imperfect people trying to do our best- even when we think that someone's best is not their best.  We all "sin differently."  It comes back to the old saying,

"Walk a mile in someone else's shoes."

Or from the scriptures, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." (John 8:7)

In the words of Pres. Uchtdorf: 

 "Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones.

Let us be kind.

Let us forgive.

Let us talk peacefully with each other.

Let the love of God fill our hearts.

Let us do good unto all men."

Life is hard enough without adding more drama to it.  Why is it that our human nature is to be so judgmental and critical of each other?  Well, I think it's because it's one of those lessons that we have to learn.  We have to learn how to see people as God sees them.  We have to learn to love them as He loves them.  

"When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become 'kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving." (quote from talk)

It will be one of those lessons that we will have to learn over and over again because

"We are not perfect.  The people around us are not perfect." (quote from talk)  In one of his previous talks he also said this, 

"I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not."

So how do we just stop it and be nice?  We have to stop being so critical of ourselves and others.  We have to pray every day to see others through Christ.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to succeed.  He wants us to turn our weaknesses into strengths and He will help us do just that.  You have to ask for help though.  You have to be willing to have a change of heart.  You have to be willing to forgive.

We have to help each other and love each other.

My goal is to simply be nicer.  To stop myself when thoughts of criticism and judgements come into my mind.  To replace those thoughts with positive ones.  It's a tough battle to fight our natural instincts, but with God on our side, we will win.