D&C Section Four

Section 4 lists the spiritual qualities a person should have if they desire
to serve the Lord. When I was a Branch President at the MTC, and I don't
think this has changed, missionaries were required to memorize this. I
think this was important because if there was something that was truly
lacking, say a missionary was not kind to the other missionaries in his
district, then the missionary could focus on making a weakness strong. It's
a good reminder of the Christ-like qualities we should be seeking in our
lives.

On the other hand, I didn't like it because sometimes missionaries felt they
were lacking in all of the listed characteristics, which we all are, and to
be a good missionary, they had to be perfect in them all of the time.
Unfortunately, there was one now and then who thought they were. Somehow
they passed over the humility part. I believe that if a person is living
righteously, is sensitive to the Spirit, and is trying their best, those
qualities will be there in one form or another. They may choose to focus on
an area they think is weak, but shouldn't condemn themselves and feel like a
failure because they're not perfect. So basically, I feel these are
standards we can all work towards, good objectives to set goals with. But
if we were perfect in every way with all of them, we would probably be
translated.