In Tuesday’s devotional, BYU-Idaho Music Department faculty member Becky Roesler illuminated the power of mercy and grace in daily life. In her talk titled “See with Grace,” Roeseler addressed the significance of extending compassion to oneself and to others amidst life’s great challenges. She also talked about how to step away from the idea of perfectionism.
“We don’t stand a chance at being perfect — certainly not right away,” Roesler said.
Drawing from her own experiences, Roesler shared profound insights into the human condition. She recounted moments where she had realizations, or “opal moments” as she likes to call them, about the individual’s pursuit of perfection, which often leads to high pressure and a lot of self-criticisms. She emphasized the importance of embracing one’s imperfection and cultivating mercy, citing the teachings of Jesus Christ as a guiding principle.
“Everyone is deserving of just and kind treatment, and all can become better. To both of those ends, true compassion will inspire individuals and systems to peacefully resist ill treatment,” Roesler said.
Throughout her talk, Roesler tied together various scientific insights on human cognition with her spiritual reflections. She explored the connection between attention, habit formation and agency while also highlighting the role of mercy in overcoming weaknesses.
“We have to find our purpose and then frame the day to day with a larger picture,” Roesler said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. “If we can see beyond the stuff that we don’t want to have to wade through, then there’s a greater purpose to it. It brings more meaning to those details.”
In the conclusion of her talk, Roesler mentioned the importance of having positive role models, like Jesus Christ, and gave the audience a call to action. She urged listeners to view one another through the lens of grace, as she believes grace is how people can access a power that is greater than them.