Developing Charity

The visiting teaching message for October is “Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Filled with Charity and Love.”

In a recent Relief Society Presidency meeting, my R.S. president shared one of the scriptures mentioned in the visiting teaching message: John 13:34 (A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.) and mentioned that Jesus love EVERYONE.  If we are striving to love as Christ loves, we need to not only love HOW He loves, but we also need to love WHO He loves—and that’s everyone, not just those of us who are “easy” to love (if there even are people who are easy to love).

I think it’s certainly easier to develop charity for some people than others; some people just rub us the wrong way, while others we just click with instantly. However, I like what President Monson said in the message, and I like the longer quotation this was taken from. He said:

“I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging…I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.

“I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others…

“Needed is the charity which refuses to find satisfaction in hearing or in repeating the reports of misfortunes that come to others…

“Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they really are…

“Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.”

“‘Charity never faileth.’ May this long-enduring Relief Society motto, this timeless truth, guide you in everything you do. May it permeate your very souls and find expression in all your thoughts and actions.”

This reminds me of a beautiful talk from Elder Marvin J. Ashton, “The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword,” in which he talks about charity. He said:

“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.

“None of us need one more person bashing or pointing out where we have failed or fallen short. Most of us are already well aware of the areas in which we are weak.”

Even if we don’t naturally click with someone, or have some instant love for someone, we can try to develop charity by doing the things President Monson and Elder Ashton suggested—refrain from judging, not being easily offended, not categorizing each other. As we do those things, then other elements of charity will come as well. 

How Jesus Christ Empowers Us

The visiting teaching message for September is “Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Powerful and Full of Glory,” and it talked about how the Savior “uses His power to reedem and empower us”—and the way that He empowers us is through covenants As Sister Linda K. Burton said, “Covenant keeping strengthens, empowers, and protects.” It’s interesting to think about covenants being empowering because there are probably a lot of people who would consider them restrictive—a big list of things you can and can’t do. However, when we remember that there are two sides to every covenant—both what we promise and what God promises—it becomes more apparent how keeping our covenants brings power into our lives. A few specific examples: with the baptismal covenant, we are promised to “always have His spirit to be with” us. With the endowment, we are endowed with power from God. With the sealing covenant, we are promised kingdoms, thrones, principalities—all things which are associated with power. Additionally, as we work toward having an eternal family—as we keep the covenant we make at our sealing—incredible power comes—because it’s through our families that we experience the most growth. The family is designed by God to help us become like Him—so as we keep our covenants, especially as they pertain to our family, we become more powerful and more like God is.

“Making and keeping covenants means choosing to bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.” In one sense, that means we are committing to do what They want us to do. And when we think about covenants, each has a specific list of things that we are promising to do. However, besides just binding us to THEM, it binds them to us.

D&c 82:8-10 says, “I give unto you a new commandment, that ye may understand my will concerning you. Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how ye may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation. I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say.” If Christ is bound to us, which happens as we keep our covenants, we are completely empowered—because all of His power works for our good.

 True to the Faith talks about some of  the other ways we are empowered through keeping covenants: “You will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, and Christlike conduct will be part of your nature…you will “receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal” (D&C 42:61). Your greatest hope should be to enjoy the sanctification that comes from this divine guidance

In the talk referenced in the VT message, Sister Burton mentioned that “keeping covenants is essential for true happiness.” Thinking about how that relates to power, I couldn’t help but think how much stronger and more capable I am when I am HAPPY than when I’m sad or angry; at those times, I’m more likely to think I can’t do something, or to give up, or to just have a bad attitude and not care. But when I’m happy, I feel more powerful. So, keeping covenants makes us happy, which in turn makes us more powerful.

She also said, “As we keep our covenants, we also receive courage and strength to help us bear one another’s burdens.” Our capacities are increased—we are more powerful.

The VT message shares 1 Nephi 14:14: “I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended…upon the covenant people of the Lord,…and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” That made me think of Ephesians 6:14, which talks about the “breastplate of righteousness.” Looking at the Bible Dictionary, it pointed it out that the breastplate is used in “protecting the vital organs against the evil things of life”—and I think the most important thing it protects is the heart. So, if we keep our covenants, our HEARTS are protected—as we keep our covenants, we love God more, we love our fellowmen more, we have a better perspective and our hearts aren’t led away by the things of the world, etc. When our hearts are turned to Him, the evil things in life lose their power over us.

Final thought: What is the breastplate of righteousness—or what is righteousness? Well, interestingly enough, I have a son named Zedekiah, and I chose that name because according to the Bible Dictionary, it means “The Lord is righteousness.” So, being armed with righteousness could be changed to “being armed with the LORD” or the breastplate of righteousness could be “the breastplate of the Lord.” When we keep our covenants, we invite the LORD into our lives—and there is nothing and no one more powerful than He is.

How Meekness and Humility Relate to Power

The visiting teaching message for August is “Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Meek and Humble.” One thing that really stood out to me as I was reading through the message is the connection between meekness and humility and power. Elder Ulisses Soares said, “Being meek does not weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control.”

Digging a little deeper into the meaning of being meek, I found that meekness can mean being “gentle, forgiving, or benevolent” (footnote to Matthew 5:5). Harold B. Lee said “A meek man is defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is the one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or the club.”

I also found a Christian website that said the Greek word is “praus” and that it has been:

a. Used to describe a soothing medicine. 

b. Used by sailors to describe a gentle breeze. 

c. Used by farmers to describe a broken colt. 

That website went on to ask, “What do all these definitions have in common? They all describe great power under control.” (http://www.christianlibrary.org/authors/Grady_Scott/matt5-5.htm)

Putting those together, it seems that a meek person is strong because he or she has self-control; meekness isn’t the absence of power or strength but rather the ability to control the power that one has.

Looking then at humility and how it relates to power:

One of the additional scriptures suggested in the message is Helaman 3:35, which says, “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in their faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” I thought it was interesting to note that it says they “did wax stronger and stronger in their humility”; I’ve always thought that meant they became more and more humble, but Richard G. Edgley, when he was serving as a member of the Presiding Bishopric, said, “Humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption.” So that made me think that the scripture isn’t just saying that they became more and more humble; it’s saying that they became stronger because of their humility.

So, the message that I took away from this is that as we are humble and submit to Heavenly Father, that gives us strength and power, and as we exercise self-control, we are meek. Some of the definitions of meekness that I looked up on the internet made it sound pretty wimpy—easily imposed on, unresisting, like a lamb to the slaughter, submissive, yielding, compliant, biddable, etc” But when we think about it, it takes some pretty serious strength sometimes to be able to submit, to be able to trust that God wants what is best for us and to accept what He gives us—or what He doesn’t give us. There are times when it is MUCH easier to protest something than it is to accept it. I think a perfect example of this is when Christ Himself went like a lamb to the slaughter, when He didn’t use the power that He had to defend Himself and to do miracle after miracle to convince His accusers that He was truly the Son of God—or when He DIDN’T use His power to save His own life. As Richard G. Edgley said, “The Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history.”

The Savior Wants to Forgive

I had just finished skimming through Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s April 2011 General Conference talk, The Divine Gift of Repentance, when I decided to take a look at the visiting teaching message for July—which just happens to be, “ Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Forgiving and Merciful”. I read through that, and then I did a quick search on LDS.org about forgiveness—and one of the things that popped up in the search results was a link to “The Savior Wants to Forgive,” a General Conference talk by Elder Craig A. Cardon. And just that title hit me and I knew that sentence is something the Savior wants all of us to know—He WANTS to forgive. It’s not just that He is kind of willing to, or He’s honor-bound to do so if we repent because of divine law, or anything like that. He WANTS to forgive—so much that He was willing to pay the price for our sins so that we could repent. He doesn’t give forgiveness grudgingly; He gives it willingly, joyfully, eagerly. Indeed, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, He is standing, watching, and runs to meet us with open arms when we come to Him seek forgiveness. No matter how unworthy we may feel, or how frustrated we may get with ourselves as we sin again (does it drive you nuts that you’re an imperfect human being? It makes me absolutely crazy mad sometimes that I am! It would be so nice to perfect!), that is NOT how Jesus feels. He knows us and loves us and He rejoices in our repentance. He does make us go through the repentance process, which can definitely be painful, but that is a sign of His love for us. As Elder Christofferson said, “Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life…Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it.” Being able to repent—and then to receive the forgiveness that Christ so willingly gives us—truly is a gift. Let us remember that the Savior truly WANTS to forgive us—every single time, again and again and again.

Virtue

The visiting teaching message for June is about virtue.

This was kind of a difficult topic for me because I don’t feel like I even fully understand what we mean when we talk about virtue--it seems like there is a very narrow definition (virtue = chastity) and a very broad definition (virtue = every good characteristic we could ever hope to have). So, I had to start just by looking at what it is, and in the VT message, it quotes President Faust, who said that it “encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.”

Preach My Gospel says it “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.”

One of the scriptures mentioned at the end of the visiting teaching message is Psalm 24:3-5, which doesn’t directly mention virtue but talks about having “clean hands and a pure heart”.

And finally, I turned to a talk by Elaine S. Dalton, since virtue was a major topic that she addressed while she was the YW General President.  She said, “It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind...It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.

So, having a basic understanding of virtue, I was intrigued by the question posed at the end of the visiting teaching message: “How does virtue empower and strengthen us?” I thought of just a few things, although I’m sure there are many others:

·         It qualifies us for the Holy Ghost and for God’s help

·         It, among other things, qualifies us to enter the temple and receive all of the blessings and power available there

·         It allows us to have a clear conscience before God, rather than being tormented by guilt

·         It helps us to see clearly (we are fixed on God and striving to do His will, which helps us to can see the temptations of the devil and the enticing of the world for what they truly are and to not be distracted or deceived)

·         It brings joy into our lives as we follow God’s plan for us

·         “Through virtue we find the power divine that can change the world”

·         The “From the Scriptures” section recounts the story of the woman with an issue of blood who touched Christ’s robe and was healed. Jesus said “virtue is gone out of me.”  The section goes onto call the woman “virtuous” and then says, “Through His virtue, Christ can heal, enable, strengthen, comfort, and cheer when we choose with courage and faith to reach out to Him.” To me, this seems to show a connection between the woman’s virtue and Christ’s virtue; by her living virtuously, through having clean hands and a pure heart and faith in Christ, she was able to reach out to Him and then have His virtue heal her.

I don’t know feel like I have a very strong grasp of this principle; it’s something I’ll have to study more. However, I want to close by sharing a song that really touches my heart. I don’t fully get the principle, but I feel the Spirit testifying that there is power in being virtuous when I listen to this song, and I hope you can feel it, too.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/music/2011/04?lang=eng&session=6&song=2&media=video#watch=video

Therefore They Hushed Their Fears

I really enjoyed Elder David A. Bednar’s talk from the April 2015 General Conference: “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears.”
 He talked briefly about how it can be easy to be afraid in a world in commotion, but then he taught that “Fear is dispelled through a correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” He shared the story of Alma’s people living in Helam, who, as a Lamanite army headed toward them, were afraid—but Alma told them to “remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. Therefore they hushed their fears” (Mosiah 23:27–28).” He points out that it wasn’t Alma who hushed their fears; instead, the people, remembering God and His power and protection, “enabled the people to hush their own fears.”
 Elder Bednar mentions some ways that our fears can be hushed as we remember God:

• “Trust and confidence in Christ and a ready reliance on His merits, mercy, and grace lead to hope, through His Atonement, in the Resurrection and eternal life (see Moroni 7:41). 
• The power of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. 
•  The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives. 
•  His ordinances and covenants fortify and comfort in times both good and bad. 
•  And His priesthood authority gives assurance that the things that matter most can endure both in time and in eternity.” 

 So, our fears can be hushed—but how do we do it? How do we invite Christ’s peace into our lives? Elder Bednar gave this counsel: “Three basic principles are central to receiving this blessing in our lives: (1) look to Christ, (2) build upon the foundation of Christ, and (3) press forward with faith in Christ” and then gave counsel on how to do each of those things.
 Elder Bednar stated, “The counsel Alma gave to his son Helaman applies precisely to each of us today: ‘Yea, see that ye look to God and live’ (Alma 37:47). We should look to and have our focus firmly fixed upon the Savior at all times and in all places.” We can be blessed to conquer our fears and strengthen our faith as we follow the Lord’s instruction: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36). I like how Elder Bednar reminded us to focus on Christ; it reminded me of one of my favorite General Conference Talks, “It Is Better to Look Up” by Elder Carl B. Cook. He talked about looking to Christ and gave some advice on how to do that, beginning with this: “Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.”(Mosiah 4:9). He also said that “we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction” and counseled us to remember Christ, and to look for the ways that He leads us: “So how will He lead us today? Through prophets, apostles, and priesthood leaders and through feelings that come after we pour out our hearts and souls to Heavenly Father in prayer. He leads us as we forsake the things of the world, repent, and change. He leads us as we keep His commandments and try to be more like Him. And He leads us through the Holy Ghost. In order to be guided in life’s journey and have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we must have a “hearing ear” and a “seeing eye,” both directed upward. We must act on the direction we receive. We must look up and step up. And as we do, I know we will cheer up, for God wants us to be happy.” I loved these thoughts on how we can focus on Christ—we can follow our Priesthood leaders, repent, pray, seek the Holy Ghost, etc., and as we do things, we fill be focused on our Savior and come closer to Him. 

Elder Bednar’s next counsel was to build upon the foundation of Christ—a familiar piece of counsel, but what does it actually mean? How do you know if you’re building on His foundation? Well, Elder Bednar said this: “Ordinances and covenants are the building blocks we use to construct our lives upon the foundation of Christ and His Atonement. We are connected securely to and with the Savior as we worthily receive ordinances and enter into covenants, faithfully remember and honor those sacred commitments, and do our best to live in accordance with the obligations we have accepted. And that bond is the source of spiritual strength and stability in all of the seasons of our lives.” So, by participating in the ordinances of the Gospel—such as the sacrament—and honoring our covenants, we build on the foundation of Christ. We are drawn closer to our Savior and to his peace, and then, as Elder Bednar stated, “We can be blessed to hush our fears as we firmly establish our desires and deeds upon the sure foundation of the Savior through our ordinances and covenants.”

Next, Elder Bednar talked about pressing forward with faith in Christ, referencing the famous scripture, 2 Nephi 31:20. He noted, “The disciplined endurance described in this verse is the result of spiritual understanding and vision, persistence, patience, and God’s grace. Exercising faith in and on the holy name of Jesus Christ, meekly submitting to His will and timing in our lives, and humbly acknowledging His hand in all things yield the peaceable things of the kingdom of God that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61).” So, as we learn and grow spiritually, persist in doing what God asks us to do, exercise patience, seek God’s grace, exercise faith in Christ, submit to God’s will and timing, and in humility acknowledge Him, we will be able to press forward, even in the midst of a world that is in commotion. “We can be blessed to hush our fears as we receive the fortitude that comes from learning and living gospel principles and resolutely pressing forward on the covenant pathway.”

Finally, Elder Bednar addressed godly fear—which he said “is a source of peace, assurance, and confidence.” This fear “encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ (see Psalm 33:8; 96:4) and “godly fear dispels mortal fears”—because if we have godly fear, we know who Christ is and we know that His Atonement is more powerful than ANYTHING that can ever happen to us. Whatever Satan throws at us, whatever scary things may go on in this world, Jesus Christ is the answer—and as we fear Him, we have no need to fear anything else. Elder Bednar stated, “Godly fear is loving and trusting in Him. As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly. And ‘perfect love casteth out all fear’ (Moroni 8:16). I promise the bright light of godly fear will chase away the dark shadows of mortal fears (see D&C 50:25) as we look to the Savior, build upon Him as our foundation, and press forward on His covenant path with consecrated commitment. His power and peace are real. He is our Redeemer, and I witness He lives. And because of Him, our hearts need not be troubled or afraid (see John 14:27).” I don’t know about you, but I definitely experience fear as I look at the world we live in, so appreciated Elder Bednar’s reassurance that we don’t have to be afraid and also his lessons on HOW we can actually turn to Christ and overcome those fears. When we “learn of [Christ], and listen to [His] words, walk in the meekness of [His] Spirit, [then we] shall have peace in [Christ]” (D&C 19:23).

Always with Us

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