When I think of the world today and the many tragedies that face us, I find myself with feelings of depression, anxiety, despair and anger. These conditions of natural calamities, corruption, starvation and other such horrors are very prevalent and are hard to grasp and keep an optimistic attitude about the worlds population and inhabitants. Despite these misfortunes that surround us, the Lord has commanded us to obtain and maintain three key principles of the gospel in our lives. The known trio of Faith, Hope, and Charity are singularly important for our happiness, but I also feel that they are deeply rooted and intertwined with one another. Stated in Alma 13:29, “Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.” As we strive to gain one, the others will also fall into place.
I would first like to discuss Faith. Hebrews 11:1 gives us the definition of, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the first principle and ordinance of the gospel and our first step out of despair. We are commanded not only to have faith, but specifically faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Man’s search in this life has been primarily to find what truth is. Also, we have all heard in one form or another that knowledge is power. God has blessed us with reason to discern truth in order to gain power here on earth. For example I learned very quickly when I was four to wear padding while learning to ride a bike. The knowledge that I gained through reason to wear a helmet and knee pads, gave me the power to prevent injury. Just as we have reason to determine truth, we can also discern truth with an “eye of faith” We must have three things to see with these heavenly eyes, these things are:
- Acknowledge that God is ( or exists)
- Understand his characteristics and understand that those characteristics will never change. Help us understand the commandments and promises he has given us.
- Align your will with God’s will.
I believe that the hardest of these three is aligning out will with God’s will. This requires us to set aside pride and truly become as a little child, trusting that what God has in store for you is much greater then anything you could ever hope for. Elder Packar said of practicing Faith, “You exercise faith by causing or making your mind accept as truth that which it cannot by reason alone prove for certainty.” Here he mentions this accepting of truth not only by reason. I believe that as we come to know God and align our will with his, our faith will increase line upon line until one day he will not be able to conceal himself from our presence.
Hope is the opposite of despair. As I find myself stressing and worrying over certain things, I remind myself that the Lord has commanded me to be optimistic in life. It is hard to decipher between hope and faith, but there is a difference although they go hand in hand. Hope in Christ is a gift of the spirit as well as a commandment from God. It is what gets us out of bed every morning and drives us to be more obedient. Christ is our greatest source of hope. It saves us from a deep despair and raises us to the joy of knowing that we are saved through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. In John 14:26-27 it says of the spirit, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The spirit can bring peace into our lives and comfort our hearts. Elder Holland spoke of this scripture saying, “ that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart. I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, ….I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant or me or unsafe in my care.”
Lastly I would like to discuss charity which is the greatest of all. Charity is the true of love of Christ and the ultimate characteristic that defines him. As a junior in high school we had a seminary lesson on charity which left me with a very overwhelming feeling. How was I to have charity for every person when I couldn’t even get along with my own sister. I also thought of the fact that I had to unconditionally love even those that were horrible to me or others around me. As I pondered this topic I thought of the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:8 which states “Charity never faileth”. The attribute of Christ-like love for our fellow men can solve any problem, dispute or disagreement. Also God has blessed me to be a woman and bear children. I believe that this is the greatest opportunity God has blessed his children with to develop this essential love. Moroni says of charity in Moroni 7:44 “for if he have not charity he is nothing.” I have found this to be true in my own life and struggles.
I know that as we strive to gain these three essential attributes that we will be blessed for our efforts and in creating peaceful relationships with our fellow men. I believe that faith can open doors for us in our ability to progress in this life and find truth. I believe that hope is just as essential to our progression and keeps up and going every single day. I also believe that there is never enough love in our lives. As we see (through faith) Gods children as they really are and their “real” potential, we will not be able to help developing charity for them. These three principles are ones that I strive everyday to improve and feel the difference in my life.
11 comments:
Thank you for making your learning available to those of us constantly adding to the religious discussion. It is good to have sites like this.
The photograph that you chose is an excellent frame for the powerful statements in your introduction. I like the honesty and sincerity and conviction of your message. Sometimes you introduce an interesting idea and follow it with another one, and readers may need more of a transition. We can help you put in the paragraphs breaks under the "edit" function, if you would like.
Like Sister Hallen said, sometimes you introduce an idea and then another and follow them. I think the ideas you introduce are really interesting and show great depth, but could use more connections.
I liked how you explicitly stated the steps we have to take to align ourselves with God. I also liked how you put more than one personal experience in your paper- it lends more weight to your argument.
The quote you shared from Elder Holland was really touching. I have also found myself asking similar questions about charity, and it's not an easy question to answer.
I'm really glad I got to read this today. Its always good to be reminded of faith hope and charity. Good job!
Awesome blog! The three points you gave for seeing with heavenly eyes were great, I enjoyed your post :)
Grrrrreat blog! charity is the word. Very uplifting. Nice work, thanks for your words!
It is great how you constantly have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ not only when you're having a great day but also when your going through trials. What an example you are to me.
A wonderfully written essay. I agree with you completely when you say that Charity is the pure love of Christ. I too have learned that when you serve your fellow-beings, you do develop a greater love for them and for our Savior.
I loved your blog and your personal experiences it really makes your paper come to life. I like how you explain we need faith, hope, and love to be successful and prosper. You can't have one without the other.
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