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
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