Charity never fails… who?
I’ve been pondering on that this week.
I think most of us can recite that “charity is the pure love of Christ”.
But then I hope I’m not alone in often picturing charity as an action.
Reaching out. Making a call. Pulling weeds. Making beds. Being a listening ear.
(Which are all amazing actions to take, of course!)
But I think it’s important to remember that charity is actually just a feeling.
In fact, according to the Bible Dictionary, charity is “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love”.
In the scriptures, the word “charity” is never even used to refer to good deeds.
Instead, it is an emotion we feel inside of ourselves.
It can totally be the motivating factor for us to then reach out and perform acts of service for other people!
But charity is love.
Feeling love NEVER fails US.
I clarify “US” because our acts of service can certainly fail other people.
I may think I’m being a fantastic ministering sister, while someone complains that I don’t fulfill my assignment very well.
I may think I’m being a helpful volunteer, while someone thinks that I’m wasting my time.
I may think I’m being thoughtful, while someone thinks I’m being overbearing.
I can’t control how the pure love that I feel in my heart is then perceived by other people.
(Of course, tact and sensitivity are always qualities I strive for, too! But at the end of the day, I can only do my best.)
But the Godly love that I try to cultivate can change me.
It can save me.
What a timely message, right?!
The more love we feel for other people, the more Christlike we become. Because He loves everyone, too.
Everything else will fail in the end.
But feeling a deep love, a love that is kind, patient, and humble… THAT will sustain us through everything.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
The pondering that you have done and the resulting thoughts about this topic are very helpful and have provoked some additional thoughts. First, I am a fan of Steven Covey and recall his discussion of the topic of “love” in a presentation he gave. When a man from the audience came up to ask for advice because he didn’t love his wife anymore (meaning that he didn’t “feel” love for her), Steven Covey responded by saying that “love is a verb.” He explained to the man that to love someone is, in fact, an action. He also explained that often in circumstances like his, the “feeling” only falls the action or actions. As I have contemplated that issue, the thought that comes to mind is the scripture in James 2:17 which warns us that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” As you have also suggested, “love if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” The powerful concepts, doctrines, and principles of “love” and “charity” are an inescapable admixture of emotion/feeling and action/work. Finally, the use of the adjective “pure” in describing the “love of Christ,” also should be considered. For the Savior, his very being, life force, and soul were “pure” in the sense that they were directed at the purposes and motivations described in Moses 1:39 – bringing to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man.” There is no evidence of any adulteration of his commitment and determination to achieve that purpose. That singleness of mind and purpose is the same purity that must be the underlying reason for being (raison d’etre) for each of us. Christ’s atonement is monumental evidence of His undeviating and unfaltering focus on the welfare and ultimate joy of all of His children – a focus and soul-change that we must learn, mimic, and achieve as much as possible during this brief mortal sojourn. Our struggle here is to grow and progress to attain, as much as possible, that same level of soul refinement. The “refiiner’s fire” that is the experience of mortality is useless and our beings “dead” (to eternal life – “God’s life”) as and to the extent that are souls do not evolve sufficiently to be qualified to effectively join the Savior and our Father in Heaven in the ongoing unselfish and pure purpose. described in Moses 1:39. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and perspectives.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.