And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (Moroni 7:45)
If "all things must fail" as Mormon said they would, I gladly grasp his invitation to "cleave unto charity", which as he said, "never faileth", and "which is the greatest of all". (Moroni 7:47)
Charity is perhaps the most sweetest and dearest of all the gifts of God, yet is so difficult to obtain. How does one get to the point of bearing all things, and hoping for all things, and above all not only suffering long, but enduring all things long enough to qualify for this gift?
It seems that the invitation to "pray unto the father with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48), comes at a price, and through my experience, the price is high. I have yet to be "filled with this love", although I have prayed for this supernal gift.
The price to pay to become a "true follower of his Son Jesus Christ" and eventually "see him as he is", has found me on my knees time and time again. The prayer is sincere, the heart is right, yet there is something lacking.
The Apostle Paul speaks of charity and gives a little insight into what might be missing in our journey to become as Christ, so that "when he shall appear we shall be like him".
Paul said the following, "...when I became a man, I put away childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11). Putting away the childish things of the world, even our thoughts, intentions, and self interests, allows us to see the world differently. Paul said this, "for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).
Maybe this is what having charity is. Is isn't about doing all those great acts of service and enduring forever and suffering long, it's about seeing differently. And seeing "face to face" who we really are is difficult. Seeing the Savior through a "glass darkly" doesn't allow us to really see the Savior as He is.
Once we see the Savior for who he really is, someone who loves us so much despite the sins we commit, we start to see others the same way. We don't see sin and start to judge, we see people the way Christ sees people. Christ sees people the way the Lord saw his fruit in Jacob 5:75. "...and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning"
Our default settings are to be good and strive for eternal happiness. If we could see this in everyone, judgments would be less harsh and forgiveness would grow in abundance. Seeing clearly the Savior's atoning sacrifice and love for me individually has allowed me to start achieving this "pure love of Christ", the kind of love that "endureth forever". It endures forever because Christ constantly forgives forever. He has paid the high price indeed for this kind of love, willing to love even though we reject him and turn away from him. I too choose today to forgive, to see Christ clearly and the love he has for me even though I will never deserve his love.
May your journey and mine be one that tests and tries us and breaks down our hearts enough to cry out to Him who can heal and change our very natures.
Though all other aspects of our life may fail, we cannot fail at charity.
-Shon
If "all things must fail" as Mormon said they would, I gladly grasp his invitation to "cleave unto charity", which as he said, "never faileth", and "which is the greatest of all". (Moroni 7:47)
Charity is perhaps the most sweetest and dearest of all the gifts of God, yet is so difficult to obtain. How does one get to the point of bearing all things, and hoping for all things, and above all not only suffering long, but enduring all things long enough to qualify for this gift?
It seems that the invitation to "pray unto the father with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48), comes at a price, and through my experience, the price is high. I have yet to be "filled with this love", although I have prayed for this supernal gift.
The price to pay to become a "true follower of his Son Jesus Christ" and eventually "see him as he is", has found me on my knees time and time again. The prayer is sincere, the heart is right, yet there is something lacking.
The Apostle Paul speaks of charity and gives a little insight into what might be missing in our journey to become as Christ, so that "when he shall appear we shall be like him".
Paul said the following, "...when I became a man, I put away childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11). Putting away the childish things of the world, even our thoughts, intentions, and self interests, allows us to see the world differently. Paul said this, "for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).
Maybe this is what having charity is. Is isn't about doing all those great acts of service and enduring forever and suffering long, it's about seeing differently. And seeing "face to face" who we really are is difficult. Seeing the Savior through a "glass darkly" doesn't allow us to really see the Savior as He is.
Once we see the Savior for who he really is, someone who loves us so much despite the sins we commit, we start to see others the same way. We don't see sin and start to judge, we see people the way Christ sees people. Christ sees people the way the Lord saw his fruit in Jacob 5:75. "...and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning"
May your journey and mine be one that tests and tries us and breaks down our hearts enough to cry out to Him who can heal and change our very natures.
Though all other aspects of our life may fail, we cannot fail at charity.
-Shon
No comments:
Post a Comment