{topic}: charity

Charity never faileth.  I LOVE the Relief Society motto.  This month in our ward our focus is charity and love-we're focusing on a Christ-like attribute every month and this one is perfect for the month of February.  Perfect because of Valentine's Day, and perfect for renewing our efforts to carry charity in our hearts starting at the beginning of a new year.  I love the topic of charity.  It heals.  It brightens...so much.  It is the light that has gotten me through so many difficult times in my life.  Charity is the pure love of Christ.  Charity is striving to see others the way Christ sees them, and love them with a perfect, unconditional love.  Charity is learning to love yourself-perfectly (completely) and unconditionally-because without this love for yourself, how can you love others fully?  Charity helps see and work through pain.  Charity calms, soothes, and heals hurts, injustices, prejudices, racism, bigotry, and so many other vices. 

    

45 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.

     46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
     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.

Moroni 7: 45-47

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13

That last verse in Corinthians 13 is what really gets me-that of Faith, Hope and Charity, Charity is the most important.  I taught Relief Society on Sunday and this was my topic and I just wanted to share it with the rest of the blogsphere.  May we all strive to hold Charity in our hearts, and Love.  Happy February ;)