Christmas Charity

For the last 4 Christmases I have been the happy reciprient of an annonymous cashier's check from a person who identifies him- or herslef as my Christmas Elf. I have never felt I deserved this check and know of countless other families who could use the money more than I! Don't get me wrong, every mom (especially single ones) can milk a cash gift for everything it's worth, and I am no exception. But it has recently caused me to ponder over the word "charity" and it's true meaning.

Growing up I used to think it simply entailed sending money to the starving kids in Africa and other such things. But lately I've been reading about charity in the scriptures and I've learned it's a lot more than simply giving money to people you don't know (although I'm not morally opposed to giving to Charities, per se, I'm just trying to see beyond that aspect).

Have you read the book A Heart Like His by Virginia H. Pearce? Wow. I don't think I will ever be the same again. Listen to what she says about the word charity:

"The word charity sometimes conjures up an image of those who have, giving to those who have not, doing "alms" as rich people who in a noblesse-oblige sort of way, condescendingly give to those who are needy, gratefully reminding themselves how lucky they are not to be poor. This is not the true meaning of charity. If charity is in fact 'the pure love of Christ' (Moroni 7:47), then there is no sense of one person being more elevated than another, because we are all needy before God, all dependent on Him; and with that paradigm, we ought to behave with a kind of mutuality, reciprocity, and equality toward one another, rather than an attitude of 'Big-Me-Little-You.'"

Need I comment more? I don't pretend to be a master at the art of writing. In fact, I generally find myself clumsily trippng over my thoughts in an effort to put them into words. So I use Virginia Pearce's words and say "AMEN sister!"

Perhaps this blog is starting to sound like a Sunday School or Relief Society lesson, but I have to share my very favorite scripture on the subject: "...wherefor, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing." (2 Nephi 26:30)

When I read that I realized how simple and yet how profound that is! Charity is LOVE! Not romantic love, but love the way Christ loves us: complete, whole, enduring, real, unconditional. Otherwise I am nothing. Why? Because when a heart is void of love, it simply shrinks. You've met people like that. Maybe you've even BEEN that person at times. I found myself building walls around my own heart in order to protect it from the pain it often feels from the world and the people in it. And then the Lord reminds me of His infinite love for me, His charity, by sending me small reminders every day. Okay, so the cashiers check is anything but small, but just the other day a neighbor swept my driveway for me, and another neighbor picked up the tree stumps that have been sitting in front of my house for a couple weeks now like an eye-sore, waiting for me to get rid of them. And all this was done without fanfair. In fact, I have no idea who did these things for me, just that they were done!

This is charity. This is love. This is what I want to be. I have a long way to go. But I am grateful for those who have learned how to love like Christ; those who have learned, internalized, and often display true charity. It may take me longer to get there, but some day I hope to get out of my own head, stop being selfish, and begin a more charitable way to live life.