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In Contact With Others
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In order to have the wax take a clear, strong impression of the
seal, you do not dash the seal upon it in a hasty, violent way. Instead,
you carefully place the seal on the soft wax, then quietly, steadily
press it down until it hardens in the mold. In like manner deal with
human souls. The continuity of Christian influence is the secret
of its power, and this depends on how steadfastly you manifest the
character of Christ. Help those who have erred, by telling them
of your experiences. Show how, when you made grave mistakes,
patience, kindness, and helpfulness on the part of others gave you
courage and hope.
Until the judgment you will never know the influence of a kind,
considerate course toward the inconsistent, the unreasonable, the
unworthy. When we meet with ingratitude and betrayal of sacred
trusts, we are roused to show our contempt or indignation. The
guilty expect this; they are prepared for it. But kind forbearance
takes them by surprise and often awakens their better impulses and
arouses a longing for a nobler life.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are
spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering
yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and
so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:1, 2
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All who profess to be children of God should bear in mind that
as missionaries they will be brought into contact with all classes of
minds. There are the refined and the coarse, the humble and the
proud, the religious and the skeptical, the educated and the ignorant,
the rich and the poor. These varied minds cannot be treated alike,
yet all need kindness and sympathy. By mutual contact our minds
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should receive polish and refinement. We are dependent upon one
another, closely bound together as part of the human family.
“Heaven forming each on other to depend,
A master or a servant or a friend,
Bids each on other for assistance call,
Till one man’s weakness grows the strength of all.”
Through social relations Christianity comes into contact with
the world. Every man or woman who has received the divine il-
lumination is to shed light on the dark pathway of those who are