Unconditional Love—The Key to Effective Parenthood A person's ability to love unconditionally can have powerful effects. Seeing another person in an eternal perspective, knowing that he is of infinite worth, helps us to look beyond his weaknesses. However, if we criticize his behavior, he may see the criticism as a personal attack. Likewise, when a family member makes a mistake, and we find fault or strike back, that person may feel justified in acting as he did. Our challenge is to reject the sin without rejecting the sinner, to reach out and treat him with dignity and respect when he seems to deserve it the least. Perhaps the biggest challenge we face as parents is when our children choose to do things that are against Church standards. We may feel like forcing our children to do what we know is right, but does Heavenly Father force us to obey his commandments? One of our hymns reminds us that Heavenly Father will "call, persuade, direct aright, And bless with wisdom, love, and light, In nameless ways be good and kind, But never force the human mind" ("Know This, That Every Soul Is Free," Hymns, no. 90). Why won't Heavenly Father force us?