Charity

One of my all time scriptures comes from Moroni 7:45-47:  "And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore...if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.  Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--

But charity is 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.

The other day as I was studying, I found a wonderful quote about charity from Elder Marvin J. Ashton.  I love this:

"Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word.  We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate.  But really, true charity is much much more.

"Real charity is not something  you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself.  And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in  your heart, you are never the same again.  It makes the thought of [putting others down] repulsive.

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet.  Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped.  Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us.  Charity is expecting the best of each other."  (Ensign, May 1992, 18-19)

I would like this to be my creed; the code by which I live.  I know I'm not there yet-not by a long shot, but it's something I want very much to strive for.  Can you imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all treated each other this way?  Well, charity begins with each individual.  Let it begin with me.