More thoughts and quotes on unity

From April 2014 General Conference

President Monson's opening remarks:  "We are gathered together as a great family, more than 15 million strong, united in our faith and in our desire to listen to and learn from the messages which will be presented to us."

From Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson (Young Women General President) at the General Women's Broadcast

"There is tremendous strength in our unity this evening. "

"Tonight we rejoice in our many different roles as women in the Church. Though in many ways we are different and unique, we also acknowledge that we are all daughters of the same Heavenly Father, which makes us sisters. We are unified in building the kingdom of God and in the covenants which we have made, no matter what our circumstances. This combined assembly is, without a doubt, the most glorious sisterhood upon the face of the earth!<sup>1"

"</sup>The adversary would have us be critical or judgmental of one another. He wants us to concentrate on our differences and compare ourselves to one another. You may love to exercise vigorously for an hour each day because it makes you feel so good, while I consider it to be a major athletic event if I walk up one flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator. We can still be friends, can’t we?"

"If there are barriers, it is because we ourselves have created them. We must stop concentrating on our differences and look for what we have in common; then we can begin to realize our greatest potential and achieve the greatest good in this world."

Of Unity and Uniformity

 

As a ward Relief Society, we have been focusing on the topic of unity.  We are commanded to be one, following the example of the Godhead.  The Godhead is made up of distinct beings who are one in purpose.   Like the Godhead, it is important that our Relief Society is unified (i.e. one in purpose), but we should not confuse the command for unity with a desire for uniformity.  There is great diversity within the Relief Society at every level, and it is one of our strengths.

There are many who may assume that there is a “typical” Mormon woman.  If you ask for a description, it might include a list of noble qualities blended with traditionally feminine skills.  When we try to imagine this paragon of womanly virtue, we might assume that she is clean, organized, skilled at all things related to homemaking, spiritually strong, and morally upright. She always reads the Sunday School lesson in advance and is always ready to substitute in any classroom of the church on a moment’s notice.  In short, she perfectly possesses all the qualities and skills we most admire and very few of our own shortcomings.  Fortunately, she is a myth!

So,  what is truly typical of our people?  Truly, the one thing that will always unite us is our doctrine.  The doctrine of the gospel is the one thing of eternal value and lasting importance that we really need to focus on.  Everything else is just fluff.  Our differences are wonderful and should be celebrated.  Our diversity can even help us strengthen our commitment to being one in Christ, without giving up those qualities that make us each unique.  The Relief Society declaration states that “we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.”  That is important.  Fitting a mold or a stereotype of a "typical" Mormon women?  Not so much

Thought of the Day 2/23/2014

"The children of God have more in common than they have differences. And even the differences can be seen as an opportunity. God will help us see a difference in someone else not as a source of irritation but as a contribution. The Lord can help you see and value what another person brings which you lack. More than once the Lord has helped me see His kindness in giving me association with someone whose difference from me was just the help I needed. That has been the Lord’s way of adding something I lacked to serve Him better."

~President Henry B. Eyring

See the full talk here.