The Art of Editing Our Lives: A Gospel Perspective

Editing is used in many areas; movies, TV, writing, advertising, and more. It might seem simple, but editing is more than just cutting things out. It takes good communication, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It is about finding what is important, what can be made better, and what needs to be removed. These same ideas can help us live the gospel and become better step by step.

President Gordon B. Hinckley once said, “Each of us can do a little better than we have been doing. We can be a little more kind. We can be a little more merciful. We can be a little more forgiving. We can put behind us our weaknesses of the past, and go forth with new energy and increased resolution to improve the world about us, in our homes, in our places of employment, in our social activities.” This sounds like the work of an editor, always trying to make things better, fixing mistakes, and improving what needs work.

Our lives are like rough drafts; full of choices, moments, and emotions. Like a movie editor who cuts out scenes that aren't needed or a writer who deletes sentences that do not fit, we can look at our actions and habits to see what helps us live the gospel and what holds us back. We could replace harsh words with kind ones or stop thinking too much about past mistakes, focusing instead on what we can do today to improve.

President Hinckley tells us to be more kind, merciful, and forgiving. Editing our actions might mean taking a moment before reacting with anger and choosing to be more merciful instead. Just like an editor makes a story better by bringing out its best message, we can find ways to show more love and kindness to others.

Editing is about finding what matters most and staying true to that purpose. When we use this idea to live the gospel, we start to see what is really important—love, service, and growth. We try to remove distractions and weaknesses that slow us down in our spiritual journey. Like a good editor, we need patience to see the bigger picture, vision to understand what needs improvement, and humility to remember that our growth is never done.

We can think of ourselves as editors of our lives—fixing our actions, revisiting our choices, and trying to become more like Jesus Christ. We may not reach perfection in this life, just as no story is perfect, but every day we have a chance to make small improvements and get closer to the ideal we are aiming for.

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