My hope and prayer is that by reading and pondering this article today, you will feel a greater desire and motivation to pray daily for the gift of Charity.
In Moroni 7:47-48 it says:
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
The phrase “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart” stands out to me.
What does it mean to pray with all the energy of heart? What does it look like? What does it feel like?
A few scriptural examples come to mind of when someone prayed with all the energy of heart.
I think of Joseph Smith when he was in Liberty Jail. He was in the vilest of conditions, among filth and all manner of evil, for months. His fervent prayer in D&C 121 pierces my heart. "O God where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed...?"
I think of Enos's soul hungering and his heartfelt nightlong prayer.
I think of Nephi, pouring out his soul in a Psalm of his own in 2 Nephi 4 - "Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul... Behold my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."
What does it look like for you to pray will all the energy of your heart?
As I’ve studied charity, I have been impressed by its eternal significance. I know that it is Christ’s love, and that if we pray and ask for it, we will receive it. I also know that like Elder Strong titled his talk, Charity is a sign of True Discipleship of Jesus Christ. If we are striving to be like Jesus Christ, then charity is of paramount importance.
In President Nelson’s most recent talk, he encourages us to increase our confidence in the presence of God by diligently seeking charity and virtue. He said:
“True charity towards all men is the hallmark of peacemakers!... As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character. Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity–especially for those who are difficult to love–for charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ.”
Charity is a gift. This week when I went to the temple, I felt the Spirit testify to me the truth of that. Charity isn’t earned. It’s not just a divine attribute, but a divine gift. The only way we can get it is to ask and have it given to us by the Father. We can try as hard as we want to love others, see them as Christ sees them, and be kind people, but without asking for it, we will not get it on our own, since it is not our love, but Christ's and the Father's.
We have been promised, “Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find.” (3 Ne. 14:7)
Jesus Christ is our exemplar, so let’s learn from Him in the scriptures. Think of some of your favorite instances of Jesus Christ being charitable. Think in the New Testament, Book of Mormon, wherever you’d like. What comes to mind?
For me, I think of Jesus Christ at one of the hardest parts of His life, when He was hung on the cross. He said of the people torturing, killing him, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Another example is when He has compassion on the Nephites. As resurrected Savior, He had been talking to the people and was about to leave them. When He looked around, He noticed they were in tears. "And He said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; for my bowels are filled with mercy." (3 Nephi 17:6-7)
As we learn more about Jesus Christ by studying His words and actions, we can become more like Him.
In his talk, Elder Strong said:
“To be the Lord’s disciples, we must intentionally imitate His thoughts and actions every day– for example, His obedience, humility, and patience. As we gradually incorporate these attributes into our own identities, we become “partakers of His divine nature.” This emulation of the Savior’s character is at the heart of worshipping Him. As President Nelson taught, “Our adoration of Jesus is best expressed by our emulation of Jesus.”
As we strive to emulate Jesus, let’s remember that He often repeats,
“If ye love me, Keep my Commandments.” and what are the two great commandments? “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
We often think of Charity-- the “pure love of Christ," as in having Christ’s love for ourselves and others. What if we also think of the “pure love of Christ” as in pure love for Christ? In our efforts to use the charity we are blessed with, do we use it first to love God, and then our neighbor? Because Christ loves everyone infinitely, whenever I’ve taken time to think about my love for the Savior, for every bit of additional love I feel for Him, I feel it for my Brothers and Sisters on Earth, those for whom He paid the ultimate price.
From Elder Strong and President Nelson two phrases stand out to me, “As charity becomes part of our nature"… and "as we gradually incorporate these attributes into our own identities…”
Charity takes time, and is a continual process. While it is a gift that we ask for, we have to actively use it and integrate it into our identity.
I’ve been on a journey to develop charity for years.
My mission taught me a lot about charity. The day I left for my mission, my Dad gave me a Father’s blessing and in it I was blessed to “ask daily for charity.” I took that advice to heart, and it made all the difference. That same day, I got to the MTC, and I saw my first companion for the first time. She was a few inches taller than me, wore all black, and definitely intimidated me. When we got to the classroom, we found out that we were the only two in our class, in other words, the only ones at the MTC learning Georgian. We had a lot of differences, and it was hard for us to hit it off at the beginning. Later, she would confess to me that before she started her mission, she told her family she would be fine, as long as she didn’t get a blonde companion from Utah. (Sound a lot like me? ;)) And there I was, Day 1 of my mission, already finding it hard to love someone. A few days in, I realized that there’d be no way we could accomplish anything if we weren’t able to fix our relationship first. I prayed specifically for charity for her. And immediately, I didn’t feel it. I thought, why am I not feeling this? Ask and ye shall receive, right?! Well I had a little work to do-- I had the thought that I needed to tell her that I loved her. So when we were talking, I gathered myself together, prepared to tell a lie, and made myself say the words, “I love you Sister, and I’m grateful you’re my companion.” And as I said the words, they became true. My heart became flooded with the Savior’s love for her. I was so full of surprise of the truthfulness of those words as I said them, trusting in the prompting I had received. It turned out to be a good thing that we learned to love each other early on, because I ended up spending 8 months of my mission with her as my companion. Each day I'm truly so grateful we met and that I got to spend so much of our missions together.
Taking time to intentionally feel more love for people around us takes effort. But the Lord loves effort!
What do you do to intentionally feel more love for the people around you?
I like to imagine what life is like in their shoes, picture going through life in their circumstances. I look people in the eye, the window to the soul. I try to imagine how Christ sees them, and picture Him smiling at this person and giving them a hug. There are countless ways to feel more love, from praying for someone, to remembering their name, to serving them in ways that only you can.
Why is Charity so important?
In the Restoration Proclamation, the very first sentence is “We solemnly proclaim that God LOVES His children in every nation of the world.” In Lehi’s vision the fruit represents “the LOVE of God.” And, our Relief Society Motto is, “CHARITY Never Faileth.” The whole plan of Salvation is driven by LOVE. And as President Nelson said, the “hallmark of disciples is CHARITY.”
“Charity Never Faileth.”
What does it mean charity NEVER faileth? What if we flip it? Charity ALWAYS succeeds! How can that help our relationships? If we always choose to respond with charity, we will always succeed.
Now, think about how the Savior sees that person. Imagine Him smiling at them, His brother or sister, someone that He sacrificed Himself for.
I encourage you to pray for charity for that person, try to feel what Christ feels for them. Seek the spirit to discern how you can treat them with greater charity, and write it down.
The dullest pencil has a better memory than the sharpest mind.
Responding with charity will mean something different in each different situation, but as you seek the spirit to discern what that means in YOUR situation, you will know what to do. Also, as you study the life of Jesus Christ, you will have a better idea of how He would respond.
Like all Christlike attributes, charity leads to action. I know that as you act on the charity you feel and continue to ask for it, you will be blessed with more.
I'll conclude with one of the most famous passages on charity. I find comfort in the familiar words.
Jesus Christ performed the greatest act of charity of all time. He performed His Atonement, a completely selfless act that was the greatest demonstration of love ever done. By so doing, He demonstrated His love of God, and His love for all of us.
Heavenly Father wants to bless us with the gift of Charity. He wants us to be like His Son, Jesus Christ. Daily, pray for charity. Ask the Father for this gift. As President Nelson said, “Let us plead with Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater Charity.”
I know that each day we have countless opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ. I know He loves us and wants us to help Him do His work. I know that as we pray daily for this gift, our Father in Heaven will bless us with Charity.
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