Each of us must personalize the atonement and change our testimony from knowing that Jesus is the Savior to knowing that Jesus is my Savior. Understanding that Jesus willingly suffered for my sins, died for me, and that he experienced all my pains and all my sorrows helps me feel he loves me and he knows me and he understands me. In Lehi's dream, the tree and fruit that Lehi described as "filling him with joy" represents the love of God. The love of God is most perfectly manifested in Heavenly Father sending his son to suffer and die for us. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The tender relief that comes with being forgiven of our sins is the essence of our Savior's love for us. Isn't it interesting that as soon as Lehi experiences the love of God by tasting the fruit, his first desire is to share that love with others? As we more fully realize the personal love involved in the atonement we should be increasingly motivated to love others more completely. We can be instruments in God's hands in bringing His love and the love of His Son to His children.
The second element of Christ's mortal ministry that exemplifies his love for us is his effort to serve. Feeding the five thousand, raising Jairus' daughter from the dead, and blessing little children are all examples of his love. He extended his love and mercy to the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda when he said "rise, take up thy bed, and walk" ; to the woman taken in adultery when he encouraged her to, "go and sin no more"; and even to his crucifiers when he begged; "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". The examples of his love and kindness go on and on.
In 1 Nephi the phrase "the tender mercies of the Lord" is used to describe Christ's on-going love for us. I believe that Christ wants to use each of us to extend his tender mercies to God's children. On the second floor of the Kimball building is a quote by Spencer W Kimball that I love. It states "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore it is vital that we serve each other." Are we being that person that extends Christ's tender mercies to those we come in contact with? Similarly, Joseph B. Wirthin has stated, "Love is the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this church, prayers for help are often answered through the simple, daily service of caring brothers and sisters. In the goodness of genuine friends, I have seen the reflected mercy of the Lord Himself."
It is humbling to consider ourselves as Jesus Christ's instruments in bringing relief to our neighbors, but what great blessing we can find in this service.
In the third element of Christ's mission, his teachings, there is a recurring theme of love. The parables of the prodigal son, the Good Samaritan, and the lost sheep and, wisdom like "in as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me", are just a few of His well known teachings on the importance of loving others. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, he gave the familiar response that is found in Matthew 22: 37-40:
Jesus said unto them, Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Did you notice that both of these two greatest commandments begin the same; "thou shalt love?" Neal A Maxwell said that developing love for others is essential to obtaining eternal life."Developing charity is clearly just as essential for admission to the upper realms of the Celestial kingdom as is baptism. We are to be more than merely nice, rather we are to be 'full of love'."
Perhaps you are like me and find commandments that demand more attention to the letter of the law easier to follow than ones that require more focus on the spirit of the law (such as possessing charity). My grandfather struggled with the Word or Wisdom. He could not seem to give up his morning cup of coffee. But Grandpa was one of the most charitable, service-oriented people I have ever known. Sometimes I am afraid I will fall into a false sense of security by thinking "I'm doing OK, I am living the commandments" because I am following the more straight forward laws but overlook the importance of more enigmatic laws like loving my neighbor.
Besides my grandfather, I have had many wonderful examples of loving as Jesus loves in my life. My father died when I was a young boy. Through my early years, other men stepped in to provide love and examples to help compensate for the loss of my father. I think of Bishop Aaron Angel, a small man in physical stature but a giant to me, as he extended love and thoughtfulness to me as an awkward teenager. Another was a great young men's leader and home teaching companion, Wayne Parkinson. At first we young men all looked up to Wayne because he had a cool car and a beautiful wife, but gradually I looked up to Wayne because I knew that he cared about me and took time out of his busy life for me. I also had an older college roommate when I attended here who extended love to me as a pre-missionary. Brad would wake me up so that I could get to our priesthood meeting that started early each Sunday. I regret that I wasn't always appreciative of Brad's efforts at the time, but I look back on his efforts with a grateful heart. Some of these efforts may seem minor to you; but they made a difference in my life then and inspire me still to look for opportunities to serve others. Of course the most profound example of love in my life, short of the Savior himself, has been my dear wife DeeAnn, who loves me so selflessly and unconditionally.
We know that we are to love others, but too often our behavior may actually be a reflection of a more Cain-like attitude of "am I my brother's keeper?" Some obstacles that I am aware of in my own life that keep me from being more charitable are: a selfish attitude, being distracted by worldly cares, a judgmental disposition and, fear. Perhaps you can relate to some of these weaknesses.
If we are not careful our own priorities and issues, though worthwhile, may blind us from opportunities to reach out to others. Someone once said that the enemy of the best is the good. We can spend our life doing good and still not be the instrument that Heavenly Father intended us to be.
A classic experiment in social psychology conducted at the Princeton Theological Seminary in the early 70's illustrates the natural tendency to choose selfish priorities over others' urgent needs. Seminary students were to prepare a sermon on the "Good Samaritan" and then told to go to another building on campus to have their sermon recorded. Unbeknownst to the seminary students, a man was placed on the route between the two buildings, slumping in a door-way—looking to be in obvious need of help. What would you guess was the crucial variable that predicted how likely a seminary student, ready to preach about the "Good Samaritan" was to stop and help a person in distress? The deciding variable was neither their age, nor how "religious" the student was, as rated by classmates. Instead it was how much of a hurry the student was in. The students had been divided into three categories. The first group was told they were late for the recording session and would need to hurry to make it. The second group was told they had just enough time to make the recording session; and the third group was told that they had a few moments to spare. The study found that the students who had time to spare were most likely to help the man in distress. Of those in a hurry, only 10% stopped to help the man in need. Those who were hurrying to make their recording session were 6 times less likely to stop and help. Even with the lesson of the Good Samaritan freshly on their minds, the students were in too much of a rush to help someone in need. Sadly, I'm not sure I would do much better in those circumstances.
President Hinckley addressed this dilemma of making time for others in a devotional speech to BYU students in 1995:
I know that you are engrossed with your studies. This is important, but in a sense it is a selfish pursuit. Take a little time, now and again, to reach out beyond yourselves to help others. There are those around you, students in need of a little kindness, a little attention, a little appreciation. My dear young friends, give expression to the noble desires that lie within your hearts to reach out to comfort, sustain and build others. As you do so, the cankering poison of selfishness will leave you, and it will be replaced by a sweet and wonderful feeling that comes in no other way.
Selfishness is the opposite of charity and must be eliminated if we are to develop true Christ-like love. Neal A. Maxwell has counseled:
So often what people need so much is to be sheltered from the storms of life in the sanctuary of belonging. Such a service cannot be rendered by selfish people, however, because the response of the selfish will always be that there is no room in the inn. Chronic self-concern means that the "No Vacancy" sign is always posted. Frequently we busily search for group service projects, which are surely needed and commendable, when quiet, personal service is also urgently needed. Sometimes the completing of an occasional group service project ironically salves our consciences when, in fact, we are constantly surrounded by a multitude of opportunities for individual service. In serving, as in true worship, we need to do some things together and some things personally.
Reaching out to others can put us in a vulnerable position. What if our attempts to be kind or helpful are rejected? When we fear rejection, we might take courage by looking to the Savior, whose mercy is often not accepted, and yet he "stands at the door and knocks" ready to love those who will receive Him. Mormon knew the antidote to fear as he tells us: "I fear not what man can do because perfect love casteth out all fear" (Moroni 8:16).
Another stumbling block to the development of charity can be a judgmental attitude. We may feel that the person has brought upon themselves their difficulties, or we may feel that they are not deserving of our compassion. King Benjamin warns against such judgments in Mosiah 4:17-19:
Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just-
But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
For behold are we not all beggars?
As we overcome some of these natural-man tendencies that blunt our development of charity, and as we endeavor to be more loving, we will be blessed with improved spirituality and an increased capacity to love. Elder Cuthbert has stated:
Over the years many people, especially youth, have asked me, 'Elder Cuthbert, how can I become more spiritual?' My reply has always been the same: "You need to do more service." Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. It prompts us to consider others' needs ahead of our own. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed.
In addition to overcoming these obstacles to charity, we might be more loving by considering at least the three following emphases:
First of all, we can focus more on the atonement. Once again, Enos was an example of a strong desire to understand the atonement. He described his desire as a "wrestle … before God", and he said that his father's teachings "sunk deep into my heart", and that his "soul hungered". Even after being forgiven he wondered "Lord, how is it done?". What a great model for us to follow in striving to make the atonement more real in our lives. Could similar words describe our search for a deeper understanding of the atonement? I know that I could make better use of things that we have already been provided to help us to "always remember him." The weekly ordinance of the Sacrament is designed to help us remember Christ's sacrifice. My use of that reverent time could greatly be improved. We could also improve our focus on the scriptures, which are designed to testify and instruct regarding the Savior. In Lehi's dream it was the iron rod, which represents the word of God that led Lehi to the tree and fruit which represent God's love. Studying the scriptures and the teachings of modern day prophets will help bring us to Christ. The reason that we refer to the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ is that if we read it with real intent it can bring us closer to Christ and to an understanding of His love for us. Worshipping more regularly in the temple also helps us focus more on the atonement. I need to take more time to ponder the love Jesus has for me and for my brothers and sisters.
Secondly, we can reflect on the service and love that we have received from others and be inspired to reach out to those around us. I remember as a youth getting a phone call before school on my 17th birthday from Bishop Angell. The conversation was very brief, but I still recall being impressed that he would think to call me and wish me a happy birthday. I am trying to repeat that thoughtfulness as a bishop now, almost 30 years later.
Finally, charity is a gift from God that we must earnestly seek after. We should pray that we will be aware of those who could use our help and we can pray for the courage to act in those situations. Let us follow Mormon's admonition in Moroni 7:48, "Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that we may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upo
I love the sweet, simple way that our hymns teach us doctrine. A favorite of mine is Lord I Would Follow Thee:
Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can't see.
I would be my brother's keeper;
I would learn the healer's art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
Savior, may I love my brother
As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon
For thy servant I would be.
Lord, I would follow thee.
As we work on loving others, we feel our Savior's love more completely. He stands ready to bless us if we will take action.
In October, at President Clark's inauguration President Hinckley made a prediction about the potential for the environment at BYU–Idaho. He said:
I submit that this campus, with its adjoining buildings, may literally offer a foretaste of heaven with the imparting of knowledge, both secular and spiritual, with the encouragement of unselfish service, with the teaching of values that are everlasting in their consequences, and with faith in the living God. I pray that it may be so.
What a wonderful promise. Increased charity would not only create a "foretaste of heaven" at BYU–Idaho, but also throughout the world as you take your willingness to love with you and as you continue to bless the lives of people wherever you are. Let's each renew our efforts to better understand our Savior's love and to overcome the weaknesses that keep us from more fully loving others as He loves us.
I testify of the truthfulness of the atonement of Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. I am grateful for His love in my life. It is the greatest gift that any of us could ever receive. May we each strive to be more charitable, by loving others as Jesus loves us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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