“And
now abideth faith, hope, charity; but the greatest of these is charity.”
(1 Cor. 13)
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.” (1
Cor 13)
Charity, compassion, and empathy for others all go hand in hand.
When we can look on others as precious souls, no matter who they are or what
they have done – that is charity. For
me, I have the greatest opportunity to demonstrate charity in my own family. Raising
children is hard. If I have charity for them, I see them as God sees them – and
it becomes easier to raise them in a righteous manner.
To me, the word "charity", just describes a righteous mother. A righteous mom does not let her own pursuits interfere with being a mom. She does not loose her patience; she does not get provoked easily. A righteous mother endures hardship cheerfully; she rejoices in goodness and truth; she is not vain. This is what kind of mom I want to be.
President Henry B. Eyring said, "We
do not know the hearts of those who offend us. Nor do we know all the sources
of our own anger and hurt. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul was telling us
how to love in a world of imperfect people, including ourselves, when he said,
‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil’" (New Testament Student Manual)
The prophet Mormon also taught that charity would never fail,
and he gave a simple definition of this gift: “Charity is the pure love of
Christ” (Moroni 7:46–47).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke of true charity as Christ’s pure love,
which will never fail: “The greater definition of ‘the pure love of Christ,’
however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate
toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward
us. True charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in
Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. It is Christ’s love for
us that ‘suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not.’ It is his love for us
that is not ‘puffed up … , not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.’ It
is Christ’s love for us that ‘beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things.’ It is as demonstrated in Christ that ‘charity
never faileth.’ It is that charity—his pure love for us—without which we would
be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found
possessed of the blessings of his love at the last day—the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal
life, eternal promise—surely it shall be well with them.”
“Life has its share of fears and failures. Sometimes things fall
short. Sometimes people fail us, or economies or businesses or governments fail
us. But one thing in time or eternity does not fail us—the pure love of Christ”. (Quoted from the New Testament Student Manual)
True charity is
shown in the Savior’s unfailing love for us.
President Howard W. Hunter explained why charity
is described as being “the greatest” of the virtues. “Charity encompasses all
other godly virtues. It distinguishes both the beginning and the end of the
plan of salvation. When all else fails, charity—Christ’s love—will not fail. It
is the greatest of all divine attributes.” (Quoted from the New Testament Student Manual)
