No Respecter of Persons

I went to a single adult fireside tonight and some of the comments got me thinking.  In one of my earlier posts I talked about similarities and differences, and how nice it would be if married people viewed us as individuals with the same eternal goals.  Tonight someone commented that they originally felt excluded in their family ward, until they started making the effort to treat married people as individuals.  At that point, they returned the favour and started treating her as an individual.

Another sister made the comment that really started me thinking.  In what I'm sure is a gross misquote, she said that we bring this separation between single and married on ourselves.  In a lot of ways it's true.  Think about all of the labels we apply in the church without even thinking about it - young single adult, mid single, single adult, young married, and even the term "family ward".  While "family ward" is a very appropriate term, since we all belong to the family of Christ, that is likely not what people are thinking when they use that term.  They are probably thinking "family ward" as in "ward full of married people with children".    Whatever the label, the effect is often to divide, rather than to unite.

Thinking about all of these labels in turn got me thinking about some scriptures.  There are multiple references throughout the scriptures reminding us that the Lord is no respecter of persons.

In 2 Nephi 26:33 we are taught that "he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."  I expect that we could easily add "single and married" to this list.

This same concept is repeated earlier in the same chapter, in verse 28.

"Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden."

But one of my favourite ways this concept is expressed is in 4 Nephi.  As you will recall, this chapter describes life after the resurrected Saviour has visited the people in the Americas.  All who heard his word,whether by His mouth or by the mouth of others, were converted.  This is how they describe their society at that point.

17There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

 And so I invite you to join me in removing the modern day "ites" from our vocabulary.  Stop focusing on the labels, and focus instead on being "in one".