This principle has served me well when it comes to seeking the Savior: I believe that He offers understanding and empathy in all of His relationships so the more people I can learn to extend understanding to, the more I will learn about Him.
This can seem like an unwieldy prospect, especially given our close proximity to ourselves and other people, all of us requiring our fair share of compassion :). I find it easier to begin by taking on examples that have a bit more emotional distance to them. I think of the scriptures as people trying to document their relationships with the Savior. Ultimately, that’s what they are right? And as we gather the bits and pieces that apply to our lives, we can try on the principles and come know how they fit us individually. Because we are all at different places when it comes to proximity to the Heaven, the scriptures seem a perfect place to start because the people who share their stories are as varied as we are. In sacred writ, we are privy to moments when individuals really understood heaven and moments when they were confused and frustrated. There are triumphant days, weeks or years when grand miracles and blessings are abundant and then there are days weeks and decades when Heaven seems woefully out of reach. In each of those scenarios, many times over, we have case studies on how people acted, what they tried, what worked and what didn’t work in their efforts to cultivate relationships with Jesus Christ while in mortality. Some people appear in brief glimpses and others offer us a window into their lifelong efforts to know Him. In all of the accounts, regardless of the outcome, we can seek to understand the individuals involved and the principles at play. This will give us practice in viewing life with an eternal-relational perspective, something I find myself in desperate need of in the midst of my own unfinished story.