"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
1 Corinthians 13:13
As a Christian, the main principles and values I use as examples in my own life are all based on the words of the Bible. The main of which being to have faith, hope and charity as is mentioned in 1 Corinthians.
When I place my faith in God, I can have hope that everything will eventually turn out alright. Adversity will always rear its head, but I can find the strength and fortitude to push through since I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
One of the main themes that is prevalent throughout the New Testament is this whole idea of love. Not just loving Christ, but loving your neighbors, loving your family and friends, and loving the whole body of Christ. A showing of said love is the act of having and showing charity. Based on the Merriam-Webster dictionary, charity can have several meanings:
- Generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering
- Benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity
- A gift for public benevolent purposes or an institution founded by such a gift
- Lenient judgment of others
The first and third definitions I feel are the most closely associated with the word charity. After all, the majority of us have probably donated money to homeless or animal shelters or any sort of children’s cancer organizations. Those highly emotionally driven commercials are proof of that lol That being said, charity is more than a noun or a vowel, it is a core mindset that I strive to live by. Having charity as a trait means that you love and care deeply for those around you. You want to help people not just when they are in need of help, but when they are in a good place as well through encouragement and edification. You should be slow to judge and make sure if you do have to judge, do so righteously with a clear and honest heart.
I struggle everyday living up to these principals. The devil uses my anxiety to push out any and all hope I have left. Sometimes leaving me petrified with fear and confusion. The way the world is nowadays, you see so many people living and going down such an evil path in life. It makes it difficult and seemingly impossible to truly love others. Because I feel like I am leading a more positive lifestyle, I do judge these people unrighteously at times. This leads to me sometimes having a holier-than-thou mentality which is so contrary to being charitable.
All in all, progress is what is important after all, I am nowhere near perfect, but I am slowly getting more and more understanding of the perspective of others. Empathy does not come naturally but it can grow so very strong once it has been cultivated.
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