The Greatest Label

To my daughter,

Our world is composed of so many groups that seek our membership. People might label themselves based on a political party, a country, a social movement, a profession, a college they attended, and much else. You may find in school that there are different groups of kids that also label themselves by their clothing or their activities or their friends. These identifiers can be okay sometimes, but I want you to know that there is only one label that you should really strive to obtain with all your heart. This is the label that Mormon gave to himself in the book he abridged for us. He could have identified himself as a general, a historian, a writer, or even a prophet. But this is what he said when he wanted to describe himself: “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life” (3 Nephi 5:13). He was a disciple of Jesus Christ first and foremost, and that is the label we should strive to obtain above all others in this life. No other membership in any group will ever be more meaningful or long lasting than to be in His group of disciples. Mormon may have here been describing a formal calling he had, but all of us can today strive for this same appellation: we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

               So how do you become a disciple of Jesus Christ? You made the first step when you were baptized and chose to take His name upon you. Here is what He said you must continue to do to keep this title of disciple: “He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple” (Doctrine and Covenants 41:5). In other words, if we do His will, keep His commandments, and act like He would have us act, then we are His disciple. In every situation we should strive to choose to follow Him and to do what He would do. As we have stresses and conflict and challenges, we can stop and ask ourselves, what would Jesus do? Usually that involves kindness and love, obedience and sacrifice. We can ask ourselves, “How can I show more love? How can I better follow the commandments. That’s how He lived His life, following the two great commandments: loving God by being obedient to all His Father required, and loving His fellow man by serving and blessing and teaching them. I hope as you go back to school you will strive above all to be able to say like Mormon, “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.” No other label that the world might give you will ever matter as much as that!

 

Love,

Dad