As Strong as We Are United

To my son,

                Recently you have been reading the Harry Potter books. At the end of the 4^th book, after Voldemort’s return, Dumbledore spoke to the students at Hogwarts. This was right after Cedric Diggory was killed and Harry barely survived. Dumbledore said this: “I say to you all, once again — in the light of Lord Voldemort’s return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort’s gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. It is my belief — and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken — that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.” I found these words to have application for us in a day where the adversary is indeed seeking to sow discord everywhere. We desperately need to be united as family, friends, and disciples of the Savior Jesus Christ. Unity will help us be strong against the temptations of the world, and discord and enmity will make us weak. The world is full of contention, and the Savior warned us that contention always comes from the devil: “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:29-30). We too surely have dark and difficult times ahead, and we must choose what is right instead of what is easy, striving to shun contention and be united as followers of Jesus Christ.  

In a revelation in our day the Savior also declared, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). Another scripture describes the people of God—Zion—in an ancient time: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18). And He has asked us to become like that in our dispensation: “Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:6). To one individual He gave this commandment, “Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:13). We are all called to help establish Zion, and we can do so by striving to shun contention and establish unity, starting in our own home. It can be hard to respond to contention with patience and longsuffering, but that’s exactly what He expects of us. In another revelation He chastised the Saints because “there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:6). Those are the kinds of things we must choose to shun, replacing jarring with gentleness, contention with kindness, envying with empathy, and strife with sympathy.

President Nelson has also asked us to be peacemakers. He said this: “Contention drives away the Spirit—every time. Contention reinforces the false notion that confrontation is the way to resolve differences; but it never is. Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.” I hope that you and I can work to choose reconciliation instead of contention, no matter how others act around us.  

Love,

Dad