Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Luke 6:35-36
Christlike Love
"Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."
Studying about LOVE
- We do not always think in an accurate way about love. One of the incorrect and irrational attitudes we tend to have is that love is merely a mystical feeling, a mysterious power that takes over; and when it comes, we “fall into it,” helpless to control it. We are prone to think that it can vanish as mysteriously as it came and that we are helpless to prevent its leaving.
- We need to stop thinking of love as a mysterious power that has control over us. We need to think of love as a way to treat other people, rather than as something that happens to us; then we will begin to have power over our loving.
- One of the most important things to look for in a marriage partner is the extent to which that person is able to express love.
- in preparing ourselves for marriage, one of the most essential characteristics to incorporate within ourselves is the ability to give love as well as to receive it.
- The morelove we give a child in his younger years, the more ability he will have to give love throughout his adulthood.
- We need to stop thinking that it is wrong for a person to love himself. The Bible doesn’t say, “Love thy neighbour instead of thyself”; it says, “Love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- to feel love alone is not enough—it must also be expressed.
- A loving person respects other persons. A part of respecting people is not to force them.
- A loving person responds to others.
- Loving is empathizing, trying to understand how the other person feels and letting him know that we understand.
- A loving person has concern for the welfare, progress, and happiness of the loved one.
- Loving is giving. It is the giving of material things to others, but even more important, it is the giving of one’s time.
- A true gift of love is one that is given with no strings attached; it is given with no concern about what will be received in return.
- Who is richer: he who has much or he who gives much? The giver is the richer, for he always receives for having given.
- A person who is not willing to receive deprives others of giving. Receiving is an important part of loving.
- Loving is forgiving. A loving person forgives one who has wronged him, and he also forgives himself for mistakes he has made.
- Another word for love is charity.
- A loving person suffers long and is kind. His love is of long duration; he envies not. He is not puffed up. Arrogance, boastfulness, and conceit are not his ways; he is humble. A loving person does not behave himself unseemly; he thinks no evil; he bears all things; he endures all things; and he is not easily provoked to anger. A loving person does not hold a grudge against others; he realizes that to do so is to bring more harm to himself than to them.
- It involves caring, respecting, responding, empathizing, having concern, giving, receiving, sharing, forgiving. Notice that these words we are using are verbs, and verbs denote action. Loving requires action.
- A person who says to another, “You have killed all the love I ever had for you,” does not understand the art of loving, because nothing can kill love; if it dies, it commits suicide, because love is not a measure of the one being loved, but of the one doing the loving.
- it is not just a feeling—it is a way of treating a person.
- If a person is mature in his ways of loving, then for him love is not blind. Mature love sees more, not less; but because it sees more, it is willing to see less.
- Maybe you are wondering if you are really in love with your partner, if the two of you have a genuine love that will stand the test of time. If there is admiration between you, if you agree on most things, if you cooperate instead of compete, you are probably in love. If you feel comfortable together and can relax and be natural, you are probably in love.
- Love does not consist of gazing into one another’s eyes, but of looking outward in the same direction.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Security of Feeling Love
"The relationship between love and appropriate action is demonstrated repeatedly in the scriptures and is highlighted by the Savior's instruction to His Apostles: 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15). Just as our love of and for the Lord is evidenced by walking ever in His ways (see Deuteronomy 19:9), so our love for spouse, parents, and children is reflected most powerfully in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds (see Mosiah 4:30)."Feeling the security and constancy of love from a spouse, a parent, or a child is a rich blessing. Such love nurtures and sustains faith in God. Such love is a source of strength and casts our fear (see 1 John 4:18). Such love is the desire of every human soul."We can become more diligent and concerned at home as we express love—and consistently show it."
A Constant Compass
"Gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of 'good ideas.'"This was one of the Savior's criticisms of the religious 'experts' of His day, whom He chastised for attending to the hundreds of minor details of the law while neglecting the weightier matters (see Matthew 23:23)."So how do we stay aligned with these weightier matters? Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?". . . The Savior revealed the way. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,' He said. 'This is the first and great commandment' (Matthew 22:37, 38). Coupled with the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves (see Matthew 22:39)—we have a compass that provides direction not only for our lives but also for the Lord's Church on both sides of the veil." |
Forgot the Mistakes
"When President Heber J. Grant was a young man, his bishop once said, 'What are we going to do with that Grant boy?'"His father, Jedediah M. Grant, had been a member of the First Presidency, and he had died early and left a widowed mother to take care of this boy. The bishop did not think he would amount to much—but he became President of the Church!"When he was in school, an English teacher assigned the class to collect some examples of bad English, to write down the mistakes. He went to Church and heard a speaker who was an immigrant and could not speak English very well. He did not say two sentences until he had made mistakes. This young Heber Grant thought, 'I'll fulfill my assignment.'"He did not have paper to write on. In those days the boys and the men wore shirt collars and cuffs that were made of celluloid, a kind of plastic. You could write on them. So he got his cuff out, and when the man made a mistake, he wrote it down. He was collecting mistakes in English. Then . . . he forgot the mistakes and began to listen. The power of the Spirit took over. He left the room both inspired and ashamed." |
The Looking Glass Theory
The concept of the "looking glass self" is undoubtedly the most famous aspect of Cooley's work, and became known and accepted by most psychologists and sociologists. It expanded William James's idea of self to include the capacity of reflection on its own behavior. Other people's views build, change, and maintain self-image; thus, there is an interaction between how people see themselves and how others see them.
Cooley's term "looking glass self" means that people see themselves as others see them, as if reflected in a mirror. According to this concept, in order to develop and shape behavior, interactions with others must exist. People gain their identity and form their habits by looking at themselves through the perception of society and other people they interact with. This concept of self, created by others, is unique to human beings. It begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person's lifespan. A person will never stop modifying their "self" unless they become removed from society and cease social interactions.
According to Cooley, in his work Human Nature and the Social Order (1902), the "looking glass self" involves three steps:
- To begin, people picture their appearance of themselves, traits and personalities.
- They then use the reactions of others to interpret how others visualize them.
- Finally, they develop their own self-concept, based on their interpretations. Their self-concept can be enhanced or diminished by their conclusions.