Justice and Mercy

Last Friday morning, I was driving to work on a busy freeway in Tucson. There was a slow car driving in the right lane and several cars, including me, decided to line up in the left lane so we could pass the slower car. I saw in my mirror a white truck accelerating in the right lane and passing everyone who was waiting in line. I immediately thought to myself:

How rude... what makes him think he can just cut to the front of this line? Doesn't he know we all have somehere to be, too?

I then noticed myself instinctively speeding up so there was no room for him to cut in ahead of me. As I did so, I remembered a conversation that I had with my mission president while driving in heavy Bangkok traffic. I asked him if it was fair for me to prevent other cars from cutting to the front in a traffic line. He taught me a valuable lesson about justice and mercy.

The Savior cautioned: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."(Matt 7:11) He also declared "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."(Matt 5:7)

Without realizing it, I was demanding that justice be brought upon the driver who was cutting into the front of the line - and in so doing, I was inviting justice into my life. I started feeling childish for my thoughts and actions:

No cuts! It's not fair!

I also started thinking about all the reasons I'd rather invite mercy than justice. The spirit whispered to me that I should start looking more for opportunities to grant mercy to others and less for opportunities to demand justice.

Good, Better, Best

When Emma started school last fall, I found great enjoyment in dropping her off at school and listening to a song that the children sang every day before going into their classrooms.

Good, Better, Best - I'll never let it rest,
'Til my good is better, and my better's best.
Good, Better, Best - I'll never let it rest,
'Til my good is better, and my better's best.

I was impressed with the theme of continual learning and personal development that was being instilled daily into the minds of five-year-old children.

I recently spoke with a senior manager at work about personal development. He listed examples of valuable lessons he's learned from the most random of experiences in his life. He encouraged me to live my life differently by looking at every experience from a learner's perspective.

I initiated the discussion with this manager to explore areas of potential growth in my career, but the Spirit helped me take something greater from our discussion. I was reminded about the most fundamental of gospel truths: the purpose of life. Spencer W. Kimball said:

My brothers and sisters, we’re away from home. We’re off to school. Our lessons will not be easy. The way we react to them, the way we conquer and accomplish and live will determine our rewards, and they will be permanent and eternal. …

You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are sent to school, for that matter, to begin as a human infant and grow to unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and power (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 28, 31).

I'm embarrassed to realize how easily distracted I can be from such a simple purpose. I often find myself living as though I'm working from one giant checklist that includes activities from work to play, from spiritual to temporal:

Sleep, check. Eat, check. Work hard, check. Read stories to my kids, check. Go on a date with my wife, check.

In effort to keep myself from getting so caught up in the motions of life, I'm finally starting my blog. I hope to record here the lessons I learn by viewing my experiences through the eyes of a learner.