Doctrine and Covenants 108:7

"Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings."
Doctrine and Covenants 108:7


This strikes me not so much for what it tells us to do, but what the alternative is.  I don't think that any of us gets up in the morning planning to put people down, or weaken anyone... unfortunately we do so anyway, without planning it.  Perhaps a plan would help... a plan to strengthen people, and not just play the day by ear.  ... but whether we have a plan or not, the point is that we need to be consistent with what we believe all the time, not just Sundays or with our families.  We need to strengthen our friends AND our non-friends. :)  God asks us to pray always, which is a way of asking us to be the same person all the time.  We are spiritual beings, and we shouldn't try to turn that part of ourselves off when we go to work, or when it isn't convenient.  And the same thing applies here.  If we were the same good person all the time, then we would be building up and strengthening the people around us all the time.   Think about how different we act when we are trying to make a good impression.  Imagine if we were that same person all the time... hopefully without the awkwardness. :)  Seriously, it's the same idea as in "do unto others as you would have done unto you."  Consistency.  If we believe and trust God now, if we love people today... can we keep that going, and feel it often, and eventually always?  Like Alma's "can ye feel so now?"  As we go throughout our days, lets try to be our best selves... and not our worst.  And the more we try, the better our best will become, and the better our worst.  And, someday, there won't be any gap.  I look forward to that.