Faith, Hope, Charity

Faith in Jesus Christ; Hope in the atonement; Charity, the pure love of Christ.

Tragedy can strike at any time, in any place, and does so, far too often. Communities come together to comfort one another and make sense of what's happened, whether they are ciphering through soggy remains after a hurricane or mourning the loss of loved ones after a massacre.

When supportive words and comforting hugs aren't enough to heal the pain, we can find solace and hope in the scriptures. In light of the tragic events that have occurred lately, I think we can all use a reminder that we aren't alone, no matter what our situation.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni reminds us that the Savior, himself, told us to have faith, hope, and charity. In Moroni 7:33, we read: "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me you shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."

When we are faced with tragedies, we have the agency to decide how to react. We can hold onto anger and focus on revenge, hatred, and our devastation, or we can pray for strength and focus on forgiveness, compassion, and service.

Hatred, revenge, and wallowing in our grief doesn't heal; it only feeds the anger and pleases the Adversary. If we put our faith in Christ, He will carry us through any tragedy that may strike. He will give us the strength to move on. As we help and serve one another, we might find that there are others whose devastations are more severe than our own. We can pray for those who grieve and for those who've done us wrong. In doing so, our hearts will be lighter and we begin to feel hope.

Moroni continues his message in chapter 7 verses 40-42: "How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? ... ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection, to be raised up unto life eternal."

As we strive to replace our devastation and grief with hope and faith, we will feel His comfort. As we pray for a heart of charity instead of a heart of anger, we will be filled with love instead of hatred.

Moroni 7:47-48 reads: "... charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever. ... pray unto the Father with all the energy of thy heart that ye may be filled with this love."

We may never understand why things happen the way they do, but He knows and He has a plan. We are all a part of that plan. It's my hope that we exercise our faith and seek for that pure love of Christ that will bring us the comfort we seek.

Faith, Hope, Charity