Charity Never Faileth

Last night was one of the longest nights I've had as a mother. Hunter wanted to eat constantly, and then Gabe got up at 3:30 demanding oatmeal (we didn't give in - I didn't want to start a precedent with middle-of-the-night eating). Anyway, it was exhausting for Cory and I both, and I woke up incredibly grumpy. Hunter aparently did too - and he just had a rough morning. I had decided that things had gone so badly that we weren't going to make it to church - even if we did go he'd be screaming the whole time.

Anyway, I kept having that feeling - the one that told me that I belonged at church - today more than normally. I wanted to be there - that wasn't it - it was just that it was getting harder and harder to see how that was going to be possible. But we did finally get our ducks in a row and head to church (late - but better late than never, right?)

As soon as our Sunday School class started I knew that there was defintly a reason I was supposed to be there. Everything the teacher said resonated with me in a way that confirmed that it was important that we attended church today. We started talking about charity in reference to the scriptures in 1st Corinthians chapter 13. I've read these scriptures before, I've heard them in lessons - but today they stood out to me.

I realized that I have a large area in my life that needs extreme work - in the area of charity. I need to be more charitable in my life, and I need to practice charity towards others more often. I think that is the missing piece in my life right now. Being in that class was one of those "A-Ha!" moments for me.

If I was more charitable I would have handled this past week (which has been a struggle for me in many ways) differently. Having charity towards others - especially my family - would have helped me to reach outside of myself. I wouldn't have felt so sorry for myself on so many occasions and I would really have served others more openly, and willingly - instead of grumbling through so much of my week.

During the lesson one of the people in our class suggested going home and reading this article by Marvin J. Ashton from the April 1992 General Conference. The article is great and I loved this part:

Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. Be fair with your competitors, whether in business, athletics, or elsewhere. Don’t get drawn into some of the parlance of our day and try to “win” by intimidation or by undermining someone’s character. Lend a hand to those who are frightened, lonely, or burdened.

If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

So I encourage each of you today to "Be one who nurtures and who builds". I hope that this week I can focus on serving others, and having more charity in my heart, and in my life. Have a fabulous week!