May You Have Courage

My thoughts on President Monson's talk "May You Have Courage"

I wonder what advances in technology are in store for us. I remember thinking as a young woman at the huge computer that sat on my desk--took most of the room on my desk--now I have a computer that is just a bit smaller than my 3-ring binder and it is more powerful than that huge one that sat on my desk. My son's I-Touch (or whatever you call it) is just as powerful and about the size of a card deck. WOW!

My heart was warmed while reading this talk, but I was called to repentance. Since I'm pretty good at being chaste and virtuous and I'm standing firm for truth and righteousness, it was his first point of courage that brought me back home to reality--refrain from judging others.

There is a difference between being judgmental and discerning good from evil when it comes to "judging" others. I think we all need to use judgement when picking friends but we don't need to be critical or belittle others. I think I do belittle others and I need to stop!

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." said Mother Teresa, one of my heroes. That needs to be my new internal motto. I need to stop judging the sisters in my ward. Even though I'm lonely and feel friendless, I have not walked the mile in their shoes that knowledge requires and therefore I need to stop judging them or belittling them. Of course I need to pick my friends wisely, by judging them properly--as the Savior would see them--but I'm not doing that. I need to repent.

I will only briefly comment on the other two points Pres. Monson makes because it was a shock to me.

The quote from Ted Koppel was just shocking to me. "What Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai were not Ten Suggestions, they are Commandments. Are, now were." I will have to use that one.

"....but no, because it's wrong." You don't here that over our airwaves very often. I thought the prevailing theory was all about protection and here someone who isn't a religious leaders (although that doesn't stop them nowadays) says it is wrong to engage in "dangerous" behavior. Very interesting.