Years ago, in one of my earliest jobs, I used to work with a Mormon.
She was a very kind lady, very hard working and dedicated to her job, and always went the extra mile to do her best for everyone.
I remember her always telling me that she was a Christian. It didn't take me very long to work out that many of her beliefs were not in line with orthodox teaching and practice and I certainly believed they were heretical.
Yet there were many things about her that I simply could not fault. Her care for others, her enthusiasm and passion for what she believed (even though I thought she was theologically off the rails!). She was very dedicated to her faith and particularly loyal in helping and serving members of her faith community, and she was extremely generous with her time and resources. I remember the day she came into work bringing copies of the Book of Mormon which she had got for each member of staff. It is certainly not a book that I either needed or wanted (and I had certainly no intention of reading it!) but I appreciated her gesture of goodwill and received her gift graciously. Others did not.
In the staff room, I heard many colleagues criticising her and moaning about her behind her back. Some of them thought that she was a nuisance. Others were plotting some method of getting rid of her, even though she was honest, professional and always did her job well. Many of those back biting, plotting and scheming against her, received her presents, freely and unreservedly, but never spoke to her, challenged her, or even asked why she had given them. To this day, their duplicity, dishonesty and ill-will has always surprised and baffled me. It inevitably results in someone being hurt and wounded, perhaps even through no fault of their own.
My motto in life is to be always faithful, firmly holding on to what we believe, but always being compassionate, gracious and kind. And always treating others in the same way we would expect to be treated.
