Pure Love

Pure is defined as “free of contamination;” love is defined as “a quality or feeling of strong or constant affection for and dedication to another.” Pure love would be a constant strong affection and dedication for another that is uncontaminated by selfish desires, wants or needs. Charity is defined as, “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 7:47). We are told that “true followers of Jesus Christ” will be blessed with the gift of charity in Moroni 7:48.

Pure love is not something that is easily developed by us, as humans. We have the natural desire to get what we want and get it quickly. Putting off the desires of our hearts is difficult. Lately in the news, and not just with the events in Israel, I have selfishly hoped that this suffering will bring the Second Coming of Christ and make it possible for me to see Archer again. I haven’t been exhibiting any kind of charity to the suffering of the people around the world, and instead have only worried about my suffering. I need to change my thinking. I need to work on developing the pure love of Christ.

Verse 48 in Moroni 7 seems to hold the keys to developing the pure love of Christ; “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.”

Let’s break down these verses, since I need to work on developing the pure love of Christ and be ready for when His time to come happens. The first step I see is to pray intently and consistently to be filled with love for others. Bonnie D. Parkin said, “Charity is our love for the Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another.” If we are praying to develop pure love, then praying to serve others, have patience with others, compassion for others and understand others would be part of those prayers. Our focus then would be turned outward, like our Savior, and not inward, which is the natural man’s tendency. It would help us to become a true follower of Christ as we emulate Him. It is more than the acts that we are looking for to change our hearts, but instead to see people as He sees them, as Children of God. Through this process we will change, and our countenance will become pure through Christ’s Atonement.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton so eloquently stated: “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.”

While I wait on the Lord, desiring to be with Him and Archer again, I need to work more at becoming like Him.