By Carolina Tillotson
Kindness needs to be more constant, said K. Richard Young, dean of the David O. McKay School of Education, in Tuesday?s Devotional.
?In the gospel sense, acts of kindness are not an option,? Young said. ?[They are] a responsibility, a covenant.?
In his speech titled ?Kindness, a Celestial Touchstone,? he explained how a touchstone is used to measure how much metal or gold is in a substance. The touchstone turns red when there is more metal, and it turns yellow when there is more gold.
?The Lord prepared a touchstone for you and me,? he said. ?Every act of kindness leaves a yellow or positive mark on our touchstone.?
He gave examples of various members of his family who showed constant acts of kindness.
He said his grandmother always showed kindness to travelers. One day she asked one of them why he would always stop at her house, and the traveler was surprised she didn?t know. He showed her a mark left on a tree by a previous traveler that signaled to others she would be kind to them.
Young told students that his parents, who provided a secure home, and later his father-in-law, who shared produce with family and neighbors, were examples of kind people.
?In a world filled with trials, let us fill our homes with acts of kindness,? he said.
Not only did he feel kindness from his immediate family, but he said he also saw kindness in the lives of modern prophets.
When Young traveled through his mission with President Harold B. Lee, President Lee showed how people can be kind no matter how they?re feeling. When they stopped at a local restaurant, President Lee, who experienced continual stomach pains, asked for milk bread. The waitress said she couldn?t get it for him because it wasn?t on the menu. President Lee proceeded to ask for all the ingredients: two pieces of toast, warm milk and a bowl. Young said President Lee ate his meal and never said an unkind word.
Just as President Lee showed kindness, Young said students can show kindness to many who suffer from physical ailments, mental anguish, disappointments and less noticeable infirmities.
People who need kindness are not in far away lands but are neighbors, family and friends, he said.
He continued to refer to the touchstone after giving examples of kindness others had shown.
?What color are the marks on our touchstone?? he asked.
Although achieving perfect constancy in this life may not be possible, it is something to work for, and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ display constant kindness perfectly, he said. Because God does not answer prayers according to His mood, people can have greater trust in Him, Young said.
?We need to display more constant kindness,? he said. ?Then others can have more trust in us like we have in our Heavenly Father.?
