There is so much to be done this time of year with all the business of travelling, finals, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, running here and there, getting presents, scraping the ice off the car....GASP! The list goes on. With the never-ending to-do list written neatly in my planner each day, sometimes I feel that I am more worried about myself and the things I have to get done than the people around me.
And so now I hereby officially deem one of my favorite quotes as my Christmas season motto:
"Never let a a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."
-Thomas S. Monson
I whispered silent prayers throughout my day to my Father in Heaven, asking Him to let me feel some of the love He has for His children. Asking Him to help me as I tried a little harder to pay attention to how I thought about and acted toward others.
I am so humbled by the change those little prayers brought.
People weren't as frustrating anymore. Suddenly, instead of criticisms, I felt something closer to empathy. If I saw somebody who wasn't feeling their best, it was easier to think of reasons they might be having a fluke day than assuming they were always that way. It was so much easier, and more pleasant, to presume the good and doubt the bad.
Because isn't that what Christmas is about? Isn't it about treating others as Christ would if He were in the room? As I remember my Savior this season and celebrate His life, I hope I can do a little more to show it.
This Christmas season, I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so glad that He gives me the benefit of the doubt, even if I do not always give it to others, even if I don't deserve it. I'm so thankful that His life proved that people are more important than things.
Ms. Emma
