The Virtue of Charity

Charity is the purest love one can posess, the pure love of Christ. I have been pondering on charity for some time now and asking myself if I truly posess this virtue in my life. Am I, as a "natural [wo]man" really able to let go of jealousy, offense, resentment, bitterness, pride, and judgement toward others and myself? Am I totally able and willing to avoid gossip completely, not giving nor recieving it? I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I try to leave people better than I found them. But I still have a long way to go before I will have mastered true and complete charity in my character. It's my ultimate goal to come to a better understanding of it until it becomes a major part of who I am, and change me for the better. I was reading in Sheri Dew's book "If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard", and in it she shared something said by Cree-L Kofford... "Have you noticed how easy it is to cross over the line and find fault with other people?...There are those among us who would recoil in horror at the thought of stealing another person's money or property but who don't give a second thought to stealing another person's good name or reputation." Then to that she says, "Charity is the antidote for every baggage-breeding behavior. It is what lifts us above telestial living." I have always thought it would be really neat to be able to hang a plaque on the wall in my home that says "Your Name is Safe in Our Home". I know people, dear friends of ours, who would safely be able to do such a thing. And I have the upmost respect for them. It is my goal to become posessed of true charity while in my mortal life.