Captain's Message: The Virtue of Kindness

Image from persimmonandpink on Etsy: 5x7 giclee print

As I have settled into my new role as the Captain of the LDS Etsy Team, I have been thinking about what is needed to do to organize things. Some “house-keeping” needs to be done for the team (and will always need to be maintained!) With a team so large and diverse, it can be overwhelming to identify a direction or purpose. Luckily, I have other Team Leaders to help me, and through speaking with them and personal thought, I feel compelled to share this message which is about the Church, but I also feel applies to the Team:

“The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.

Each one of us will travel a different road during this life. Each progresses at a different rate. Temptations that trouble your brother may not challenge you at all. Strengths that you possess may seem impossible to another.

Never look down on those who are less perfect than you. Don’t be upset because someone can’t sew as well as you, can’t throw as well as you, can’t row or hoe as well as you.

We are all children of our Heavenly Father. And we are here with the same purpose: to learn to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

One way you can measure your value in the kingdom of God is to ask, “How well am I doing in helping others reach their potential? Do I support others in the Church, or do I criticize them?”

If you are criticizing others, you are weakening the Church. If you are building others, you are building the kingdom of God. As Heavenly Father is kind, we also should be kind to others.”

-From “The Virtue of Kindness” by Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2005 Conference

This message is important; I would like our Etsy team to encourage and build one another with kindness. I would like for us to be a source of strength, comfort, and knowledge for one another. This sort of caring environment will improve our entire Etsy experience, which is my ultimate hope. Please remember that we all travel this road at different speeds and in different ways, but that we ultimately are in this together to help one another.

- Rachelle Sharp, LDS Etsy Team Captain