"Stop it! It's that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters. I don't know exactly how to articulate this point of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw...the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It reads, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."(President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, May 2012 Ensign [General Conference Edition] pg. 75, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy")
“Often we assume that they must know how much we love them.
But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare,
‘They do not love that do not show their love.’ We will never regret the kind
words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such
things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.” (President Thomas S. Monson, October 2008 General Conference, "Finding Joy in the Journey")
"Discipline is a form of love, an expression of it. It is necessary and powerful in people's lives. When a toddler is playing near a road, we steer carefully around him. Few will stop and see him to safety [and,] if necessary, discipline him. That is unless to is our own child or grandchild. If we love them enough, we will do it. To withhold discipline when it would contribute to spiritual growth is evidence of lack of love and concern." (President Boyd K Packer, February 2011 Liahona, "Strengthening the Less Active")
“The spirit must be freed from tethers so strong and feelings never put to rest, so that the lift of life may give buoyancy to the soul. In many families, there are hurt feelings and a reluctance to forgive. It doesn’t really matter what the issue was. It cannot and should not be left to injure. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals. George Herbert, an early 17th-century poet, wrote these lines: ‘He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven, for everyone has need of forgiveness.’”
(President Thomas S. Monson, Hidden Wedges, Ensign, May. 2002, 19.)
"Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations. We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience."
(Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Point of Safe Return", May 2007 Ensign)
"Discipline is a form of love, an expression of it. It is necessary and powerful in people's lives. When a toddler is playing near a road, we steer carefully around him. Few will stop and see him to safety [and,] if necessary, discipline him. That is unless to is our own child or grandchild. If we love them enough, we will do it. To withhold discipline when it would contribute to spiritual growth is evidence of lack of love and concern." (President Boyd K Packer, February 2011 Liahona, "Strengthening the Less Active")
“The spirit must be freed from tethers so strong and feelings never put to rest, so that the lift of life may give buoyancy to the soul. In many families, there are hurt feelings and a reluctance to forgive. It doesn’t really matter what the issue was. It cannot and should not be left to injure. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals. George Herbert, an early 17th-century poet, wrote these lines: ‘He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven, for everyone has need of forgiveness.’”
(President Thomas S. Monson, Hidden Wedges, Ensign, May. 2002, 19.)
"Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations. We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience."
(Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Point of Safe Return", May 2007 Ensign)
“We consume such precious emotional and spiritual capital
clinging tenaciously to the memory of a discordant note we struck in a
childhood piano recital, or something a spouse said or did 20 years ago that we
are determined to hold over his or her head for another 20, or an incident in
Church history that proved no more or less than that mortals will always
struggle to measure up to the immortal hopes placed before them. Even if one of
the grievances did not originate with you, it can end with you. And what a
reward there will be for that contribution when the Lord of the vineyard looks
you in the eye and accounts are settled at the end of our earthly day.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2012 General Conference, "The Laborers in the Vineyard")
"Coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2012 General Conference, "The Laborers in the Vineyard")
“Throughout our lives, whether in times of darkness,
challenge, sorrow, or sin, we may feel the Holy Ghost reminding us that we are
truly sons and daughters of a caring Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we may
hunger for the sacred blessings that only He can provide. At these times we
should strive to come to ourselves
and come back into the light of our Savior’s love.” (Elder Robert D. Hales, April 2012 General Conference, "Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service")
"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord's tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20)." (Elder David A. Bednar, April 2005 General Conference, "The Tender Mercies of the Lord")
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