Imperfections

Moroni was painfully aware of his limitations. Consider the following passages in the first two chapters of his writings (Mormon 8 and 9):

• “Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone” (Mormon 8:5).
• “And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you” (Mormon 8:12).
• “And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things” (Mormon 8:17).
• “Search the prophecies of Isaiah. Behold, I cannot write them” (Mormon 8:23).
• “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” (Mormon 9:31).
• “And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record” (Mormon 9:33).

In these chapters, he repeatedly highlights his constraints, including:

1. Insufficient room on the plates
2. Language issues
3. His own imperfections

As a result, he repeatedly asks us to be forgiving and to overlook these deficiencies in transmission. His concern is for our well-being: he worries that we will reject the message because of the limitations of the messenger.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminded us:

Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work. As one gifted writer has suggested, when the infinite fulness is poured forth, it is not the oil’s fault if there is some loss because finite vessels can’t quite contain it all.Those finite vessels include you and me, so be patient and kind and forgiving.

“Lord, I Believe,” General Conference, April 2013

Today, I will be forgiving of other people, particularly of people who are engaged in the work of the Lord. I will strive to see past their imperfections and to be wise enough to recognize the greatness of the work in which they are engaged.