Dear Paul,
I loved your story about receiving a free baby squid at the farmer's market and how you ate it - tentacles, head, shell, eyes, and all! That's funny...I wish I had a picture of your expression eating that squid!
It's great to hear that you have been able to visit some of the elderly people in Japan. So interesting that they want to talk about your weight! I thought it was interesting, also, that there are so many 7-11 stores in Japan...who would have thought?
I like how you talk with all sorts of Japanese people who you encounter in lots of different types of situations. I love to hear how you begin and carry on conversations with them...talking about lots of different topics. These types of conversations can help people feel more comfortable with you and our Church. In fact, some of your best chances of teaching will probably come from these types of conversations.
I hope your Halloween party turns out great and thanks for your Mosiah 9 and Mosiah 16 notes...I am learning a lot from you and I appreciate what I am learning!
I have been thinking a lot about relationships this past week. Can I share a few thoughts with you?
First of all, there are two ways of how we can perform any behavior...with a soft heart of with a hard heart. The outcome of how we perform the behavior is quite different. If we perform whatever it is with a soft heart, we are truly seeing people and children of God similar to ourselves. If we perform whatever it is with a hard heart, then the opposite is true (we might think that we are better than they are; or we might think that we deserve more than they do; or we might think we are worse than they are; or we might need to be seen a certain way and this keeps us from treating them as a co-equal son or daughter of God).
Your success as a missionary and also in any relationship afterwards largely depends on whether you can interact with people with a soft heart...seeing them first and foremost as a child of God who is similar to yourself.
In contrast, if you overlook or disregard the fact that the person is a child of God, your chances of being a successful missionary (or of sustaining a good relationship in whatever other relationship after your mission) are not good. A hard heart leads to problems and contention. A hard heart also provokes others to react towards you and your missionary message with a hard heart. In short, a hard heart has to be justified - meaning faults, short-comings and a myriad of other things become disproportionately attributed to the other person. Sadly, when we have a hard heart, our own abilities and capabilities also become disproportionately attributed to ourselves. We deceive ourselves when we have a hard heart when we unjustifiably attribute disproportionately to others and to ourselves.
We need to obey promptings from the Spirit in order to maintain a soft heart. If we don't obey these promptings, then we find ourselves justifying why we are doing what we are doing or disproportionately attributing to others or to ourselves. The key is to listen to the Spirit and act on the promptings you receive. Action, whatever you are prompted to do, is vital to maintaining a soft heart and will enable you to have an influence on others. Otherwise, if you have a hard heart, you will not be able to influence others and bring them to Jesus Christ.
So my invitation to you is to become more aware of the status of your heart. Ask yourself over and over in your mind if you are truly seeing whoever it is as a co-equal child of God. If not, change your ways and thinking. Your great love for others will be more readily felt by them if you follow this invitation to see them first as a child of God, your co-equal. When the person feels your love and knows that you care about them, then you truly have an opportunity to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
These principles are also important for relationships with your companion, family and friends.
I love you so much and it's great to be your Dad! Please know that we pray for your success and well being every day. I think of you everyday and I often look up the weather in Ueda just to feel a little bit closer to you. I miss you.
We are all doing well here at home, although Amy did not make the volleyball team (she cried in the car in our driveway for about an hour after we arrived home). Jacob had a great homecoming date and the downstairs is cleaner, although not entirely clean yet. Things are going well at work for me and Ben has found a part-time job that pays about $12 per hour located here in Ogden (I think he will be working in a warehouse).
I am so proud of you and I love to receive your letters!
With great love,
Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment