Faith, Hope and Charity

For most of my life whenever I read Moroni or heard a talk or lesson about the trio Faith, Hope and Charity I always figured that if I had faith, that lead me to hope for eternal life and charity for others that I could then have eternal life. But recently I heard it in a new light, then as I digested the information and was checking to see if it was accurate I heard it a second time from the member of the Seventy, so I think I dare run with it.

In Stake Conference last night David T Warner taught us about charity. Now many times we think about charity in the sense of the Relief Society motto "Charity Never Faileth" or just keep serving. Now service is part of charity, but not because we serve because of guilt. True service and true charity comes because of the love we feel from our Father in Heaven. Because we feel His love for us and His love for all of His children we then want to share that love with others. When Nephi asked about the tree his father saw the Holy Spirit taught him that the tree represented the love of God. This most precious fruit is knowing that our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us, this knowledge then strengthens our faith to follow our Father's will and hope that because He loves us good things will come to us. When we see charity as a gift our Heavenly Father gives to us, that changes faith and hope from something we need to have to progress to something that comes as a result of feeling Christ's love for us.

Throughout my life there has been few times when I didn't feel the love of my Father in my life. But lately I haven't felt that love, there are still moments like in the temple when I can feel that love, but for the most part I feel like I am wandering through a waste land alone, wishing for some sign, for some something to help me feel loved. I know in my head that Heavenly Father loves me or should love me, but I'm starting to realize there is a very big difference between knowing something should be true and actually feeling something as fact. It is a painful thing to sit through a meeting and wait the whole time to hear something that affirms to you that you are known, you are cared for and you are loved. And this in my mind is where faith and hope fit with charity. If in some moments we don't feel the love of the Savior, if we feel cut off, confused or hopeless we must have hope that there really is a being out there who does love us, who is connected to us and hurts for us. We then need faith that that hope is not vain and that there will come a time when we feel it and can feel it deep within us. Having felt the love of my Father many times in my life it is a painful thing to be without it now, but it has shown me how those with depression can feel so cut off, alone and without worth. It is painful to feel you have to work to be loved, to feel you will never measure up, that you don't hold a special place in someone's heart. Sometimes in those moments we just have to keep moving, it would be wonderful to feel loved before moving forward, but sometimes we do what we've been encouraged to do, sometimes that love we seek will come and other times we find meaning and purpose in obedience and distraction, which is still a better place to be then where we were.

Faith is an action word, as we act and as we hope we can find purpose and meaning and one day faith and hope really will bring charity as well. The charity to know God loves us as one of His children, as a being that holds a special place in His heart.