That They Might Come to Understand...

Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding. D&C 1:24

Throughout time the Lord has spoken to His prophets in their own language and in the language of those they serve. This act of love enables us to understand His words and the plan He has for us.

To me this promise also means more than knowing God speaks in our native tongue, it means he speaks to us in the language of our hearts. He knows us so deeply that sometimes we can't distinguish His voice from our own inner voice. We may question if we are receiving revelation or just having an errant thought.

We have been taught that "every good thing comes from God," and also, "to act on every good thought we have." It doesn't really matter if it's our own idea or not. As we learn to listen and act, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father and become more familiar with His voice.

As we minister to others we can emulate this pattern by knowing deeply those we serve. As we grow to know and understand them, we become more familiar with their hearts as well, and we learn to "speak their language." I have both ministered to and been ministered to by people I didn't know well.

Sometimes it never got much deeper than a monthly visit, but more often we developed a truly lasting friendship that continues. We see each other and recognize the inner turmoil the other may be facing.

I believe this is the true purpose of our ministering efforts, to see, hear, and grow to love each other as deeply as our Savior and Father do.

2.7 Spiritual- Post 2