Charity

“And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily drovoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” -Moroni 7:45-47

“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, “The Tongue Can be a Sharp Sword”, April 1992 General Conference

Charity is not an action. It is an attitude--a state of heart. Charity is only associated with doing good works because these actions help develop this state of heart. I think that the best way to have charity is to try to see and treat everyone the way our Father in Heaven sees and would treat them. When we "borrow" Heavenly Father's lens our view becomes purer. Seeing people the way Heavenly Father sees them allows us to look past sins, bad habits, annoying tendencies, and other imperfections and allows us to truly love someone.

Some of the most precious experiences I've ever had have come because I felt the love Heavenly Father had for the people I was working with. Feeling the love Heavenly Father has for one of His children will stop every unkind word, reverse every unkind thought, and change every belittling action. It will enable you to unconditionally give them the benefit of the doubt. It will give you the desire to help that person succeed. It will enable you to give them the best. It will help you see Heavenly Father's children as important, smart, talented, and amazing individuals because you come to realize that they really are. The best part of doing all this is that you begin to realize that Heavenly Father loves you just as much too. Doing these things will lead to true happiness.