R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!

I had a fascinating experience the other weekend while visiting some friends. I stayed the night and rummaged around this particular friends room, just some of the note papers he left out, and read them. I was very impressed with this individuals interests and goals in life. He had plans to attend the temple every week. He set a goal to live in the present and enjoy life in the stage he is currently at. I was also impressed with the notes he took at conference and how he was striving to live his life close to the Savior and follow the plan that He has for him. As I went home, I couldn't stop thinking about the respect that this friend had for the Savior and how it impacted him in the decisions he made and how he lived his life.
I then decided to study respect in the Book of Mormon and find out how the Savior wants us to show respect to Him. The scripture that first popped into my head is the first and great commandment that He gives us to "love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind... And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
So then I looked up the definition of respect vs. love in the dictionary:

Respect: esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

I concluded that respect is a prerequisite to loving another person. When the Savior asks us, or rather commands us to love others, it is important for us first to respect them. We must recognize their worth and their excellence and then we can develop that tender affection and care that He wants us to have. By doing these things we are able to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves.

My friend is a great example of showing respect to the Lord, to others and to himself and I am grateful to have an example like that in my life. The greatest example that all of us can look to though is Jesus Christ. He is the first one to recognize the qualities of another person. His love in unconditional. He knows our strengths and helps us to magnify them. I know that when I am feeling down or that I am not qualified He is able to give me strength and remind me of my abilities, and help me to overcome the minor challenges that I face everyday. He is the ultimate Respecter! He is the definition of love! He is the only one we can always look up to as being who we should strive to become.

I have just been overwhelmed lately with the concept of respect and desire to increase my respect for those around me. Everyone we encounter in our life deserves to be loved and respected by us. We have a command to find the good in others and learn to love them for it. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ who paved the way for me so I can have a more positive life and be able to find peace in my daily activities despite my weaknesses. I love the gospel with all my heart and although I make mistakes, I know that Heavenly Father loves me still and will help me to do learn and do what is right. The church is true!