Seeing God's Spirit in Others

Elder Paul Boman

Seeing God or God’s Spirit in others has always been easier than seeing him in myself. The scriptures tell us that everybody has worth in the sight of God so I need to try a little harder. We believe everybody is born with some measure of faith which is the start of everything good in us. Being part of that growth in faith is always worth the effort. Christ sees the potential in all of us so why do I always feel I'm lacking in this skill.
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​Over Christmas, I saw a pecan pie recipe that looked very easy to bake. I’ve eaten a lot of pecan pie over my life but very few good ones. You know, the kind with buttery filling, nicely toasted pecans and a flaky crust. Sometimes the filling is dry or granular with a tooth breaking pecan topping. A slightly burnt crust  with an odd taste was always the last to be eaten or thrown away. The only thing that can save these is a good helping of ice cream. 
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All of these problems were compounded by this attempt along with a lack of skill. I really thought I would be the exception with hard work, a good attitude and superior intelligence. I cannot really explain how wrong I was. The pecan pie recipe that I used gave the instruction for baking was the pie is done when the center giggles slightly. I mixed the ingredients together in a bowl and poured them into the pie crust. Heated the oven and baked the pie. Interpreting giggles is a very subjective measurement that escaped me. Pie center giggling must require a sense to develop over time. Possibly with a certified giggle master or a giggle-o-meter, both of which I do not have in the kitchen.
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My pecan pie turned out undercooked, with a slightly harder than expected crust. I did some additional research after the pie was disposed of and found the pie is done at 200 degrees. Maybe there is something that could help me see God’s Spirit in others. More prayer, more preparation and more studying on what God has put into each one of his creations. Something to help me to be a better servant of God and a better disciple of Christ.
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Finding time is always a good excuse for not baking a pie, and it also applies to the more important things in life. Seeing God’s Spirit in everybody includes ourselves. I have traveled extensively in our world and I have experienced many cultures. My experience is most people have some amount of God’s Spirit, and much more than expected. God’s Spirit shows through in the help they gave to me in the most unusual places.
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​Help given to me on my trek to the great wall, where two Beijing University students helped me arrange transportation back to my hotel after missing my bus. The taxi driver that drove me through Chinese government checkpoints and many miles beyond his normal territory. In another instance in Hungary, there was a fellow train traveler that saw me struggling with reading the Cyrillic letters on the train stations and told me when to get off the train at Kiskunfélegyháza. You can probably see why I was having problems with the station names.
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There were also times when I was able to help others. I had just arrived in Regensburg Germany and began looking for the tram to my hotel. A couple with luggage approach me looking for the railway station so I was able to give them directions. This seems like a very easy thing to do but had an impact to others. Being in this same position many times and being grateful for a moment of somebody’s time.
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I believe being ready to help others and being ready to receive help are two sides of the same coin. Both are important to see God’s Spirit in others.