Charity

Charity has two sides.  1 - Our love for the Savior.  2 - His love for us.  That's it.  

One might ask, What about everybody else?  I have come to learn that when we are blessed to be filled with the joy of God's love and grace in our lives, we then will naturally feel a rich love and joy for all of God's children as a result.  (And by the way, apparently, grace and charity derive from the same Latin word.)  

The list in Moroni 7:45 is easily misunderstood.  No matter how diligently we strive in our raw mortal state to be patient and long suffering and kind, these efforts alone will never bring the full love of God we all earnestly seek.  The fact is, we cannot achieve it by our selves!  It is a gift.  This beautiful list merely describes what it is to be a disciple of Christ, already filled with his love.  

Our challenge then is found in verses 44 and 48 where we learn that only through faith, hope, meekness and  lowliness of heart, combined with humble and sincere prayer to the Father will we be endowed with the love and grace that we seek.  

I am sure that just as there were many Lamanites who were filled with the Spirit of the Lord at the time of their baptism and knew it not, so also many of you humble followers of Christ have been richly endowed with the pure love of Christ many times in your life, unto the blessing of many, and you too, knew it not.  

I am so grateful to know you all and to feel the mercy and grace of the Lord in my life!