Charity Never: Now That's Something to Smile About

"Charity never faileth.." The scriptures are filled with this phrase, in one form or another. I think of my "fall back" plans or "plan z's" in situations that up until now have always come through for me. It is sort of like, as a kid, I knew that if my Nintendo cartridge wasn't working that all I had to do was blow on it in the inside and it would work. Don't ask me how any of us of that generation knew to do that, but we all did. And you know what? It never failed me. No matter how panicked I got that my game was forever ruined I had a calm reassurance inside saying, "but if this doesn't work, at least you can always blow on it, that never fails". 

How many of us realize the power of realization? I mean, how much of a difference does it make when we KNOW we have a foolproof "plan z", a win all ace card of life decisions? Think of what our lives would be if we realized that that was what charity IS, to its very core. It is a principle, a characteristic, a way of life that if used it will never ever let us down. If applied, and eventually when it is in us, there will be no situation or choice or trial that we cannot come out of with joy. And that joy will come with the knowledge that we did exactly as Christ would have us do, because, when we act with perfect charity we literally are doing what Christ did do while He was here, and is there really a better way to do things? And knowing that, even when things get really bad-I mean gut wrenching heart breakingly so-there is peace in knowing that we have something that will never let us down. And that gives me a lot of hope. So what is charity? Why does it never fail? When I was serving a mission my last companion, Sister Streeter, had memorized what would become one of my favorite quotes:

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of being a basher repulsive.
Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other. -Marvin J. Ashton 

 And to me, in the end, that is what never fails-expecting the best of each other. Because, it is when we do that that we begin to be the best of ourselves, because, like or not, we are very liable to being what those around us expect us to be, so why not let others feel they can be their best around us? Charity is a word of infinite feelings, expressions, and definitions, something that takes a lifetime to understand. But this I do know, that expecting the best of each other, expecting the best of ourselves, and expecting that God will do His best for us is part of charity, and no matter how little a part of charity we have and understand, it will never fail us. And you know what? That is something smile about.