Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, was a man of peace. Being a victim of prejudice and misunderstanding himself, he had sympathy for the outcast, the loner, and the forgotten. His was a voice of inclusiveness and love:

In 1844, Joseph Smith wrote:

“Jesus said: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ [Matthew 5:9.] Wherefore if the nation, a single State, community, or family ought to be grateful for anything, it is peace."

“Peace, lovely child of heaven!—peace like light from the same great parent, gratifies, animates, and happifies the just and the unjust, and is the very essence of happiness below, and bliss above. ... "

“Animation, virtue, love, contentment, philanthropy, benevolence, compassion, humanity and friendship push life into bliss: and men, a little below the angels, exercising their powers, privileges, and knowledge according to the order, rules, and regulations of revelation, by Jesus Christ, dwell together in unity; and the sweet odor that is wafted by the breath of joy and satisfaction from their righteous communion is like the rich perfume from the consecrated oil that was poured upon the head of Aaron, or like the luscious fragrance that rises from the field of Arabian spices. Yea, more, the voice of the peacemaker—"

“It is like the music of the spheres—
It charms our souls and calms our fears;
It turns the world to Paradise,
And men to pearls of greater price.”
(“Chapter 29: Living with Others in Peace and Harmony,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 339–48.)

This statement reaffirms the importance of being peacemakers. Whichever circles we move in, or whomever we deal with, we need to be civil, friendly, and peaceful. Love is the basis of society and civilization.

Recently this message was reaffirmed by Thomas S. Monson, the sixteenth president of the Church:

“I would encourage members of the Church wherever they may be to show kindness and respect for all people everywhere. The world in which we live is filled with diversity. We can and should demonstrate respect toward those whose beliefs differ from ours.” (Looking Back and Moving Forward)

I grew up in California, which is a melting-pot of cultures. I had friends from about every demographic: black, white, Asian, Mid-eastern, male, female, rich, poor, native-born, immigrant, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu—everything.

One wonders how we could unify so many people with different backgrounds. Part of it has to do with the American Outlook as codified in the Declaration of Independence and reaffirmed in the Bill of Rights:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence)

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech."(First Amendment)

Both of these create a philosophical and legal framework for tolerance and respect. Of course we all have our own ideas about religion, but it is understood that in America everyone has a right to believe as they wish.

But behind the legal framework of these founding American documents there is something deeper. It doesn’t come form the law, but from the heart. I think in America we have a sense of love for other people. This is not to say we are perfect (however you choose to define that word), but we do have to admit there is a “special something” in the air that has kept us stable since 1776.

This love for other people is a fundamental ingredient to my faith. Joseph Smith taught:

“Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." (“Chapter 37: Charity, the Pure Love of Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 327–38.)

I think that is the key. We can live in unity—despite differences—if we love one another.

So what is love? The Book of Mormon, which is book of scripture and is another testament of Jesus Christ, gives a supernal definition of love. The book was translated in 1830, and follows the wording of the King James Version of the Bible. So instead of the common word “love,” it sometimes uses an older word “charity.” The word charity means more than just almsgiving or organizations like the Salvation Army. The word is defined as “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47) and is also described as being “everlasting love” (Moroni 8:17), both meaning the kind of “super-delux love” that God has for us.

The Book of Mormon passage is as follows:

“And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (Moroni 7:45)

So charity, or love, is not just attraction or affection. It is an invigorating power that enlivens all aspects of our lives.

I have seen love build bridges and melt hearts. I recently moved, so I began attending a new congregation. Things were awkward at first. In my area there are a lot of move-ins and movie-outs, so skins are understandably thick. But here and there, as I have spoken in scripture study classes, or talked with people, and attended church-sponsored activities, I have come to be accepted in the ward.

I did have to work at it, yes. But I think this same thing can happen anywhere, and to anyone. If we work at loving others, it will surely come back to us. That is the key to living in unity—commonplace love.

Many of us have heard the analogy of the thread and the tapestry. In this example you learn about the relation of small things to their ability to form something large and beautiful. It can be the members of a family working together, or an even larger group. It can also be the pattern of our individual lives.

I think sometimes we focus on the big things. We try to see the whole picture and ponder and pray about the big decisions in our lives. We see these as the things that define who we are and what our tapestry will look like.

But in reality, the one who know the whole picture is the weaver and He works with individual threads not chunks of yarn or puzzle pieces. Yes, we all have big decisions to make that can change the course of our lives, but how often do we think about the little things? There are a million little things that get woven into our tapestry every day. Perhaps what our life is like or how it might change during those big decisions is actually a result of the pattern we’ve laid with all the little things along the way.

Every day we make a dozen small decisions that will affect our final tapestry. As we choose, the Master weaves. When we realize we’ve made a mistake, He takes it out and renews the area to the beauty of the entire peace. If we do not realize, or choose not to correct, our failings and mistakes remain. When you look at the final piece these glitches might be noticeable, or they might not, but they still define who we are and who we will become.

If we are discussing the pattern and whether a mistake is visible to the eye our first argument is then revisited. Wouldn’t tiny mistakes from every day living be overlooked more easily than a large wrong choice? I think the problem is that mistakes all start out small. Every mistake starts with one wrong stitch. It’s those tiny decisions that dictate what our actions will be when the large choices come along.

Consider these examples:

If we find ourselves faced with the temptation to be unfaithful to our spouse, how will that decision be affected by our previous smaller choices? If we have made tiny mistakes such as looking at inappropriate images in the media, then we add the tiny mistake of dwelling on the images, then we add the tiny mistake of dwelling on the difficulties in our marriage instead of the love, then we add the tiny mistake of thinking about what it might be like to have chosen a different path or different partner – how then will our decision for a larger temptation be weighed? If on the other hand we have tried a little bit each day to love and value our partner, to avoid images that plant inappropriate thoughts in our minds, or avoid being alone with those of the opposite sex where temptations might be fed- how is that decision weighed?

If our mother provided us with music lessons, how are our future choices founded by our immediate decisions about whether or not to practice or find enjoyment in the learning?

If we casually disregard the speed limit, do we then forget other rules of the road that keep us safe?

While it is true that every decision is still up to us, we choose the path our feet will follow with each step not each mile. As we stray it becomes harder to find our way back the further we go.

May we pay a little more attention to the little things in life.
May we notice God’s small blessings.
May we smile at a stranger, or drop our spare change in the donation buck instead of our wallet.
May we hold our tongue just a little longer when frustrations build.
May we choose with each step to follow Christ even if the step seems too small to matter.

If we can do these types of things the tapestry the Lord weaves from our lives will be beautiful – one thread at a time.

A certain movie that came out a few years ago led many teens and pre-teens to wonder this very thing. One young man was labeled the basketball guy; one young woman didn’t want to be sucked back into the world of math and science without trying to explore other options; another girl was determined to keep her own identity wrapped up tight in the world of drama and music.

I immediately appreciated the message this movie portrays, that we are so much more than our obvious talents make us out to be. If this weren’t truth I would never have tried out for Pep Club my junior year of high school, as my obvious talents lay in the fields of music and writing. Yet I made it and had a wonderful time.

You need to take a moment, however, and focus on who you really are. This one important trait can do more for the foundation of your identity than any other, even if you are the star of the football team.

You are a child of God.

Why is knowing this so important? James E. Faust, former member of the 1st Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church), gives us a great example:

“Dr. Fred Rile, a prominent social worker, has treated many athletes who identify themselves as athletes rather than as children of God. He relates: ‘What happens when they can’t play basketball? Their identity is shot.’ Their self-worth is related to their physical skills rather than their character. Many who achieve world-class recognition may not like themselves. Some of the rich and famous, even though they have great talent and ability, are insecure and succumb to drugs, alcohol, or immorality, and their lives become shattered. Instead of being happy with who they are, they become dissatisfied and discontent. They measure their self-worth solely in terms of their talent and accomplishments instead of who they really are inside. It is not always true that the more you achieve, the happier you will be or that you will like yourself more” (James E. Faust, “Who Do You Think You Are? – A Message to Youth,” Liahona, Jun 2001).

Some of the wealthiest and most ‘successful’ individuals in the world are not truly content. They are continually looking for something more, that elusive entity that will make them feel whole and happy.

As a child of God you have been given some extraordinary talents. With those talents comes a responsibility to develop and utilize them to further the Lord’s work. When you take those talents and begin using them for your own selfish gain, you lose sight of who you really are. Yes riches and fame may come, but you will also find misery and a sense of loss.

Now is the time to find out who you really are. If you don’t already know yourself to be a child of God, begin with a prayer. If prayer feels uncomfortable, pick up a Holy Bible or a Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ).

For those who feel you do know yourself as a child of God, now is the time to study and begin to discover what that really means.