Let’s make this really close-up and personal and call this "Caring for the Needy Around Me," especially our own family and those around me! How can we even know about the needs of those around us? I’m guessing most people don’t know about the biggest challenges and trials in your life. However, how people treat you will either lift your burdens, or make them heavier.
Alma teaches, that those willing “…to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; yea and are willing to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort…” is a prerequisite of being baptized. The truth is, so many everyday challenges and burdens are unseen. What’s more, people’s biggest challenges may be caused by the ones they love the most. How can we help people with their everyday challenges and make sure that we are not making things worse by our words or actions? Having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion is key!
We know that the natural man is blind, but Moroni 10:5 says “…by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” So what do I do to invite the spirit in my life? What am I doing that chases away the spirit so I can’t see clearly?
I love how Jesus Christ asked Oliver Cowdery to “care” for Joseph Smith in D&C 6,
“Stand by my servant Joseph Smith (Care for Joseph who’s in need) faithfully, in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the words sake.” (Through the hard stuff)
So, is he just supposed to stand by him? Sometimes yes, but often to care for someone, we need to communicate. “Admonish him in his faults (So caring for someone might mean telling them hard things) and also receive admonition of him.” Caring also means listening to hard things that our loved ones tell us!
Then God says how to effectively do this so that we can have the spirit as our companion as we communicate with someone that we care about. “Be Patient (what does my voice sound like when I’m patient, a voice that doesn’t make the spirit flee), be sober (what does a sober face and body posture look like, so I can still feel the spirit), be temperate (what kind of words do I use when I am trying to communicate with temperance) have patience, (it looks like a typo to use patience 2 times, but I think the Lord meant to do that) faith, hope and charity.”
I want to end with a quote from Pres. Nelson in “Peacemakers Needed.”
“My dear brothers and sisters, how we treat each other really matters! How we speak to and about others at home, at church, at work, and online really matters. Today, I am asking us to interact with others in a higher, holier way…
“The pure love of Christ is the answer to the contention that ails us today. Charity propels us “to bear one another’s burdens” rather than heap burdens upon each other. The pure love of Christ allows us “to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things”—especially in tense situations. Charity allows us to demonstrate how men and women of Christ speak and act—especially when under fire.”
I invite all of us to find ways to care for the needy around us, by how we interact with others, even when we can’t see their needs. That we communicate in a way that shows our love for God and love for each and allows the spirit to stay in the room. I bear testimony that Jesus Christ loves us and will help us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Comentários