Val's Email Sunday School: Be an Example of Charity

The New Testament talks about Charity in 24 different places, and the Book of Mormon mentions it 20 times. 1 Corinthians 13 discusses how faith, hope, and charity are three of the best qualities we can aspire to have, “but the greatest of these is charity.” The bible even goes so far as to say if we “have not charity, [we are] nothing.”

Charity seems really important. Are we sure that we even know what it is? Charity is defined in the dictionary as the “voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.” To be charitable means to be “devoted to the assistance of those in need” and/or to be “generous in giving to those in need.” Moroni 7:47 defines charity as “…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.”

One of the best and clearest descriptions of what it means to be charitable can be found in King Benjamin’s sermon in the reading this week found in Mosiah 4-6. He tells us to “succor [give assistance, support, or aid in times of hardship and distress] those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need...” This is what it means to follow Christ. This is what we covenant to do when we are baptized. Baptism is just a formal declaration that you are willing to live your life this way, that you are “willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort…” This is what it means to stand as a witness of God.

King Benjamin tells us, “that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” We are to administer to others in whatever way we are qualified to do, and in whatever way we have prepared ourselves to be able to do.

King Benjamin warns us not to “suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just.” It’s extremely arrogant and wrong of us to assume that we’re better off than others because we have made better choices. The pandemic shows us how circumstances outside of our control can greatly affect us through no fault of our own. Accidents and illness can also put people in precarious social and financial situations.

It’s not our responsibility to judge whether their cause is worthy, but it’s also important to remember that we can’t do everything. We personally can’t help everyone, but we all can in some way help someone. This is what I think King Benjamin is saying when he expresses that we “see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.”

If we don’t have a lot of money, we can’t give our money away because then we’ll be the ones in need of charity. But if we have a little, we can give a little. If we have more, we can give more. And we can someday aspire to be like Larry H. and Gail Miller who have been able to give away cars or pay off mortgages for people. You can only share when you have a surplus of something. It’s the strong who can afford to be merciful. It’s the financially sound who can afford to be generous.

I don’t want to overstress the importance of money. It’s a wonderful tool that we can use to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can also give of our time and talents (anyone hear of people sewing masks and gowns to help out the world lately?). There are many ways to improve the world and those ways are as diverse as the people in the world. The point is to try to make sure we’re always making the lives of those around us better, not worse. King Benjamin addresses this very thing as well saying, “that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” Lifting people’s spirits, visiting the sick or sad, all of these things are forms of charity and charitable living.

As I read the Come Follow Me lessons, I can’t help but compare what I read with our lives today and current events. The current emergency has revealed to us the flaws still inherent in our societies. Somehow, despite all of the world’s wealth and technology, many people are in danger of going hungry. The demand at food banks has increased drastically. Mortgages and rents are in danger of not being paid. The transition to schooling online from home has also highlighted issues with educational disadvantages that children have when they lack access to the internet or devices to use that internet. These issues are just in the US, to say nothing of much of the rest of the world where standards of living are often lower and educational opportunities are more scarce. Sometimes clean water and hygiene products are hard to come by.

The problem is massive, but I believe it stresses the importance of self reliance. We must get our own houses in order. We must be fiscally responsible as individuals and we must live within our means and save for emergencies. We must understand the unsustainability of debt. We must not allow the enticement of nice possessions now to enslave us.

For many, this pandemic may be the first bout of financial or food instability they have experienced. I feel like this is a good thing, in a way. When we understand something more viscerally, we are more committed to changing to helping others in a circumstance we understand. Even if we take care of everyone in the United States so that they have food, water, shelter and internet, that’s not enough. We need to help everyone in the world. It’s a monumental task, but I think we can do it if we do it together.

To quote Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” We must exemplify the changes that are needed in the world. The only thing we can be sure of changing is ourselves, but our example may inspire others to follow in our footsteps. If we change as individuals, and then families, and communities, we can change our countries and the world. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Come Follow Me Mosiah 4-6

Val's Email Sunday School: Small Kindnesses Change the World

(This ties in, I promise)

The reading this week begins with King Benjamin stressing the importance of education that his sons might be "men of understanding." This resonates with me. I think it’s so important that we educate ourselves as much as we can in as many areas as possible. Doctrine and Covenants 88 stresses this telling us to be “instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

79 Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—”

Why are we supposed to educate ourselves and pursue our interests in varied disciplines? The next verse explains with, “That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling where unto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.” The more educated and prepared we are in different areas, the better prepared we are to be useful in whatever scenarios we might find ourselves. I don’t think we’ll know when specific talents or interests may come in handy, but pursuing knowledge and skills is always a useful endeavor.

King Benjamin also talks about the importance of records, talking about how without written records, his people wouldn’t be able to remember the promises of the Lord. This stresses to me the importance of journaling, or keeping track of where we are and who we are in our lives. This time during the pandemic could be particularly interesting for kids or grandkids to read. This is definitely a hinge point in history, where the world seems to be on the verge of great change (not in a bad way or merely a public health way), but in terms of advancement and innovation, and great humanitarian efforts. I can’t help but think of the quote that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” I feel like with such uncertainty there is great potential for amazing things that might be born of this hard time.

In his sermon King Benjamin also talks about how the people were “led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.” To me this stresses the importance of hope, of maintaining optimism despite uncertainty. If one watches the news and only reads news articles, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. If we’re overwhelmed and discouraged and lacking in faith, or unfaithful as Benjamin calls it, we won’t “prosper nor progress in [our] journey, but [be] driven back.” Just like the Israelites wandered in the wilderness until they were worthy to progress to the promised land and the Nephites wandered seeking their own promised land, we too will wander until we’re ready to become more.

King Benjamin tells us that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” This brings to mind the scriptures in Matthew 25 that say, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

When we serve others, we are serving God. That might be the irony of all of this. We think that we need to do big grand things to make a difference in the world, but true change starts with us if we follow Gandhi’s advice to “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Lots of us don’t have the power or influence to change the world on a grand scale, but we have all the power in the world to change our world on a grand scale. As we take action and try to become the people that we think the world needs, I think that the world will reflect those changes in a correspondingly larger scale.

King Benjamin tells us that the “the natural man is an enemy to God,” and that we must “[yield] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord. . .” Changing our nature is hard, but there is power available to us that can give us strength and enable us to be who we need to be. We can change our natures. We can become better, and we can become more.

As we each have educated ourselves and prepared ourselves in different ways before we found ourselves in the time-warp of quarantine lockdown, some of us are more prepared that others in different ways. To me this is where helping others comes in. We lend our strength to our family, friends, and neighbors in whatever our expertise may be. Maybe you are an artist or a musician and you share the beauty you’ve created with others to ease their stress just a little at this time. Maybe you make funny memes and you make people laugh in a time when smiles are hard to come by. Maybe you are a good listener, and you spend a lot of time being a friend to those who feel a little lonely right now. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you’re contributing to make the world a better place right now. Make the world a little lighter, a little brighter, and more beautiful.

We must do better. We can’t wait for God or inspiration or some other muse to tell us what we should do to try to help people who are struggling. We need to be proactive about helping our family, friends, or neighbors. We can use our creativity or ingenuity and listen to what they say to try to come up with personalized ways to make them feel loved and remembered. When you’ve been the one who needs these kindnesses, you know that literally are worth more than gold and can never be repaid.

As a final example to illustrate that we don’t need to do super grand things to change the world, I’ll leave you with the story of how I first learned this lesson. I was in high school when we went on a senior trip to Lagoon. It was a really cold day, which meant that there was no line for the Rattlesnake Rapids ride. My friend Christina and I spent almost the whole time riding that ride. Sometimes the employees would make us get off the ride, run around like we were getting back in line, and get back on the ride even though no one else was there.

We had so much fun, and by the end of the say we were drenched. Literally sopping wet. The day had only gotten colder. I was freezing, but okay. Christina was shivering so bad she could hardly walk. A boy we didn’t know saw us. He introduced himself as Scout and gave her the sweatshirt he had just purchased for her. When we tried to get his contact information so that she could pay him back when she had the money, he told us no. All he wanted from us was for us to repay the kindness someday when someone needed something. And almost twenty years later I’ve never forgotten the lesson that Scout taught me.

Maybe you can only know what these simple kindnesses mean when you’ve been on the receiving end when you really need it. Like the nurse brings you hot blankets when you’re shivering in the hospital. Like the friend who brings you balloons after they hear about your husband even though you haven’t seen them in years. The friend who calls you in tears because they’re devastated to hear what happened and you end up comforting them instead of the other way around. The friend who brings you a blanket in the hospital--the tactile comfort of something soft and warm just making things a bit better. Or the friend who brings you food and books. The friends who come to give you blessings and pray for you in the hospital when you need it, even though it’s never at a convenient time and usually late at night.

Simple kindnesses like the boys from the ward who dug a french drain because the yard kept flooding. The neighbor who jumped the car. The neighbor who would shovel our driveway because he noticed it never got done--and he didn’t just do it once. He did it many, many times. These are the things that meant the most. They meant everything. So much that these people will never be able to understand what it meant to me. I can never repay them. But I can try. And I do. I try to repay them by being for others what they were for me.

Val's Email Sunday School: Lambs Who Emulate the Sheperd

The Atonement of Christ and his Resurrection are central to the beliefs of Christians, but these concepts are among the most abstract and overwhelming doctrines that we have. It’s hard to understand something that is supposed to be applicable not only to the billions who live on earth today, but all those who have lived and will yet live on the earth. Paradoxically, the Atonement and Resurrection are also taught as very personal and intimate things. Whether or not we understand these concepts matters less than if we understand who Christ was, and why we should seek to be like him. The story of The Bummer Lamb helps me to understand how we might relate and emulate the Savior better:


“Every once in a while, an ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken.

These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does?

He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it and keep it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the bummer can hear his heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first?

That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately.

It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it.

It's not that it is loved more, it just believes it because it has experienced that love one on one.

So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.

The Lord is MY shepherd... I’m a bummer lamb.”


I think it helps us to remember that we aren’t supposed to love Christ or God without reason. 1 John 4:19 teaches us that “We love him, because he first loved us.” We have been given an example of an individual who succors (or gives assistance, aid, or support in times of hardship) to people who are suffering. We can feel this power and strength in our own lives during our darkest times. To me, this is more applicable for us as individuals than his role in the remission of sin, because that’s not an example we can emulate. We can, however, look to his example in easing the burdens of those who are pained, afflicted, infirm, disappointed, or full of sorrow.

If we are to emulate Christ, we must “Be . . . not weary in well doing for [we] are laying the foundation of a great work.” If the two great commandments are to love God and love our neighbor, then the small and simple ways that we show love and support for those around us are the most powerful things that we can do.

There are so many things I could write about regarding our small and simple acts, or compassion and love for others, or our love for our neighbors strengthening and shoring up our love for God. However, I’ll end with this. Let us learn about Christ. Let us learn why we would want to emulate him. Let us seek to understand how and why “Christ himself [is] the chief cornerstone” of our faith. As we work to improve ourselves, we can be an influence of good in our families, and communities, and ultimately the world.