As I begin this blog, I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it. This is a trial run and there may be updates in the future. But for now, I think what I'm going to do is title the blog posts as the lesson I learned. Of course, there may be multiple blog posts on the same topic due to all the different experiences and aspects of each attribute/lesson. For example, today I titled it "Charity, learning to love others". Charity is a huge umbrella. I am assuming that there will be many more blog posts on Charity in the future. With that being said, welcome to my new blog. Let's get started!
One very important lesson I learned was loving others. I don't want to say that I have always been selfish, because that would be untrue. But, before my mission, I didn't think of others the way that I do now. I didn't always see them the way that God saw them. For who they are, children of God, with the potential to become something greater than any of us can imagine.
When God looks at His children, He doesn't reject them for where they've been or what they are currently doing. He loves them and encourages them to take steps toward Him. He beckons them closer to Him. He wants them to come into His tender loving care.
That love is so pure and precious. It is so amazing. I was able to get glimpses of it while I was serving some of God's precious children.
It doesn't all come at once, believe me, it can take a while. There were multiple times when I just wanted to throw my arms up and call it quits. I didn't want to love some people. But an amazing thing happens when you decide that you want to want to love people. Yes, just having a small desire to start loving someone can open the door of the enabling power of the atonement to do just that. The Lord can help us to fulfill our righteous desires. There is divine help that can be granted unto us if we want it.
As I humbled myself before the Lord and plead with Him to give me unconditional love for the people around me, it came in time. I was filled with love so deep that I was blown away. I felt like there was nothing that would ever stop me from loving these people. They could reject me, they could yell and curse me, but I would still love them. Understanding a bit about these people and their backgrounds made it even easier for me to love them. But truly, God gave me His eyes for just enough time so that I could understand them and love them.
I think that is why our Father and our Brother Jesus Christ love us so much. They completely understand us. Therefore they know what we are going through and are compassionate and patient.
I'm grateful that I have learned a few ways to develop charity through my mission- Humbling myself to ask God for help, stepping back to try and understand the people, and losing myself in serving them.
I know that God and Christ love us so much. They love us unconditionally. They love us with a love deeper than the ocean, hotter than the sun, etc. It's unfathomable. I am grateful that every once in a while I can get a glimpse of their love for me and for others. It's indescribable.
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