There are times in life when you know, you need to learn something or better yet become something more. Reading of Christ we see that Charity is the greatest of all traits we can obtain. To obtain charity we must humble ourselves and request the gift of charity from the Spirit. I find this to be difficult because I know the Father will not just say, here you go my son, you now have charity.
I put off praying for charity much the same way I put off praying for patients or humility. The Lord seems to have almost a since of humor when we pray for things. He does not give them directly to us rather we are given opportunities to learn and apply the principle. As I have studied charity to better understand what I need to develop, I was even more reluctant to pray for the gift of charity.
As we learn in Moroni, “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.” This is a much more detailed explanation of charity that simply caring for the poor or needy.
The past few months have been very difficult and I have failed on multiple opportunities to show charity for others and situations in my life. I have suffered but not with charity, I have not been kind in my suffering. I have envied what others have instead of being grateful for what I have even though I knew it was the wrong to give into these emotions. It has been difficult to seek not my own, when it seemed to be the only way to achieve. The truth is, it is the fastest way to failure. I have become more easily provoked and thought evil rather than looked for the positive. I know the truth but choose not to rejoice in truth because I wanted to be wallow in self pity.
Now looking back at these struggles I have a choice. I can quit trying to achieve the gift of charity or I can recognize the opportunities given to me in the form of trials. These trials are given to obtain the blessings I seek. It is time that I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things. Most important it is time to endure faithfully all things not on my time line but the Lords time line. After all it is His will, not mine, that should be the focus. Yes, it can be hard to pray for gifts such as charity, but it is only when we seek these gifts that we can truly align our will with the Father’s and not bend His will to ours. I am grateful for this greater understanding regarding the gift of charity. Especially the realization that I have been given opportunities to truly achieve the very gift I seek. I pray for forgiveness of my short comings and know that because of Christ I can be forgiven, if I truly repent. What a wonderful gift and blessing the atonement is in my life.
If anyone is reading this that has been effected by my lack of charity, especially recently, please accept my apology. I maybe a natural man but that is no excuse. Please feel free to let me know what I can do to make restitution. I am blessed with so much, it is time I start doing that which the Lord has in store for my life rather than seeking my own will. If you are not happy with the way things are going I encourage you to reach out to your Father in Heaven for support and guidance. He loves you and wants you to have joy in this life and eternal life hereafter.