From: Richard Pratt
To: Those I Love
Re: Charity
The last two memos have been on Faith and Hope. Those who develop Faith in Jesus Christ and God, hope in a better and eternal world. This develops into a passion to share our faith and hope with all others that they two may rejoice. This yearning desire is called charity and the prophet Moroni defines charity:
“ as the pure love of Christ. And whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with them....pray that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.” (Moroni 7:47-48)
The prophet Alma expresses the urge of true charity in the hearts of those who have it in the following words: “ O that I were an angel and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people.”
“Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder repentance and the plan of redemption. That they should repent and COME UNTO OUR GOD, THAT THERE MIGHT NOT BE MORE SORROW UPON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH.”
(Alma 29:1-2)
Think of it: there would be no sorrow in all the earth if all man would develop with in themselves faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope in his promises and a charity for all mankind which is the pure love of Christ.
Not only would crimes of violence cease, but wars also. Which would empty prisons, do away with courts and police, greatly minimize disease, eliminate broken homes and peace and tranquility would fill the earth. All because the welfare of our neighbor would supersede our own.
And with this love we would become so aware of our own physical body which is the Temple of God. That we would cease to defile it with substances which weaken, impair and destroy it. We would eat properly and not to excess. Exercise and tone the muscles and rest sufficiently each day to keep our body tuned as a good mechanic tunes a car. And then as the prophet Brigham Young says the length of mortal life would increase generation by generation until we could even attain to the length of life of pre flood patriarchs who really did live into their tenth century.
I love Paul’s dissertation on charity as found in the 13 chapter of First Corinthians and will explain a few of the special aspects of charity as he explains them.
He starts out by stating, “no matter how good we are, or think we are, if we have no charity we are but a loud noise and of no value. Even if we have faith to move mountains and have no charity ~ WE ARE AS NOTHING.
Even if we feed the poor (the worlds idea of charity) and have no compassion for our neighbor, WE ARE NOTHING.
Charity suffereth long, no matter that the world despitefully uses them. Or as the Savior cried out on that awful cross, (speaking of the Roman Soldiers carrying out the execution)
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Charity is being kind, returning good for evil. And above all one with charity does not envy but rather rejoices in the good things happening to others.
Charity is to be meek and humble and not blowing ones own horn.
Charity rejoices in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things hopeth all things and endureth all things.
Or as our 13th article of faith reads: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing GOOD TO ALL MEN; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul ~we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praise worthy, we seek after these things.”
The Savior said: “Love you enemies, do good to them that hate you”...and if someone holds a grudge against you, you go to him and apologize and make it right with him.
In the world we think it should be the other way around. But it never works that way. Those who have something against you seldom if ever try to make it right. We see it so often in families where two brothers or others go for years with angry feelings and unhappiness.
A few years ago, not many, a man hated me. I couldn’t think of anything I had done to offend him and even thought it was silly of him to detest me so. Then I read the Savior’s words again, YOU GO TO THEM ~ I swallowed my pride and did. I apologized even tho I had done him no wrong. He was astonished, the hate left, I had won a friend.
Yes it works, or in Paul’s words “charity never faileth” I was so glad I did when I found his obituary in the paper a few weeks later.
Life is too short to carry a grudge even real or imagined. And the grudge carrier always suffers the most by far. And most grudges, as was my friends, are more imagined than real.
Let us have love for one another especially with in our family and that includes all of you that we might live long and happily upon this beautiful God given earth.
I love you!
Dad, grandpa etc
Russell Kearl (Grandma Adaline’s brother) gave me the following:
CARING A GRUDGE IS A LOSER’S GAME. It is the ultimate frustration because it leaves you more pain than you had in the first place. Recall the pain of being wronged, the hurt of being stung, cheated, demeaned. Doesn’t the memory of it fuel the fire of fury again? Do you feel that hurt each time your memory lights on the people who did you wrong? Your own memory becomes a videotape within your soul that plays unending reruns of your old rendezvous with pain. Is this fair to yourself ~ this wretched justice of not forgiving?
The only way to heal the pain that will not heal itself is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiving heals your memory as you change your memory’s vision. When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free ~ YOURSELF, (~Forgive and Forget ~ Harper and Row)
The following quotes were given to me by Susann Rowbury:
On this day
Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss a suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter to someone who misses you. Encourage a youth who has lost faith. Keep a promise. Forget an old grudge. Examine your demands of others and vow to reduce them. Fight for a principle. Express your gratitude. Overcome an old fear. Take two minutes to appreciate the beauty of nature. Tell someone you love them. Tell them again and again and again.
Those who choose the right are given more choices. Those who choose wrong have their choices made for them. (BettyAnne Gillette)
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just stand there.
A problem not worth praying about isn’t worth worrying about.
The only one who can limit your growth, your learning and your unfolding potential is you.
Without the assistance of that divine being...I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.
(Abraham Lincoln)
There is a destiny that makes us brothers. None goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.
If you could see the person that God intends for you to become, you would rise up and never be the same again!
Upon our shoulders rest the responsibility to teach the wold that God’s way is the only way to find peace, joy and happiness. (M. Russell Ballard)
The best investment I know of is charity, you get your principal back immediately and draw a dividend every time you think of it.
Uncle Russell Kearl sent me this one: (Your Name by Robert Louis Stevenson)
You got it from your father,
it was all he had to give.
So it’s yours to use and cherish,
for as long as you may live.
If you lose the watch he gave you,
it can always be replaced.
But a black mark on your name, son,
can never be erased.
It was clean the day you took it.
And a worthy name to bare,
when he got it from his father,
there was no dishonor there.
So you make sure you guard it wisely,
after all is said and done.
You’ll be glad the name is spotless,
when you give it to your son.
