Charity never faileth.

Today in Gospel Doctrine, we talked about the Liahona, when Nephi broke his bow, and when he was commanded to build a boat. Here are a few of the things that I learned as we talked about these events and applied to them our day:

• Lessons from their experience with the Liahona:
• The Liahona only worked when Nephi and his family were faithful and righteous.
• The words of Christ (the scriptures, words of the prophets, etc.), the Holy Ghost, our patriarchal blessings: these are all examples of Liahonas in our day.
• By small means the Lord can bring about great things. 
• Lessons learned from when Nephi broke his bow:
• Be faithful and proactive. If you try to work things out by yourself first, the Lord will let you know when you need to do something different than what you are doing.
• Don't be afraid to ask your parents. They are more experienced at life than you are and they are there to help you and to guide you.
• Lessons learned from when Nephi was commanded to build the boat:
• Nephi trusted God; he had never built a ship before, but he trusted the Lord and listened to His guidance and direction.
• He prayed for help and inspiration. 
• Heavenly Father knows where we are in life, and how much knowledge we have gained, so He will guide us from where we are to where we need to be. 
• The Lord will seldom do for us what we can do for ourselves. Nephi asked God where to go to find ore to make tools to build the boat. He did not ask God for tools, but rather the materials he could use to build tools.
• The Holy Ghost speaks to us through our spirit, and our mind, and we have to be open and willing to hear him.

In Relief Society, we talked about charity. The Relief Society motto is "Charity never faileth." In the Bible dictionary, it says that charity is "the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ." Charity is Christlike love. We read several scriptures about charity, and in Moroni 10, it says, "Except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God." We also listened to President Nelson's talk from last conference,  "A Plea to My Sisters", and it was so powerful. As he talked about the deaths of Elders Perry and Scott, and President Packer, at the beginning, he was so emotional and I wanted to cry all over again. 

He said a couple of things stood out to me:

"Your virtue, light, love, knowledge, courage, character, faith, and righteous lives will draw good women of the world, along with their families, to the Church in unprecedented numbers! We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices. The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!"

"Today, let me add that we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God's children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly."

And then he said this, and it stood out to me so much:

"My dear sisters, nothing is more crucial to your eternal life than your own conversion. It is converted, covenant-keeping women...whose righteous lives will increasingly stand out in a deteriorating world and who will thus be seen as different and distinct in the happiest of ways."

I love that. I have so many wonderful examples of converted, covenant-keeping women to look up to, and I am so grateful for them!!! They may not see it, but I see them changing the world every day. There is a song by Hilary Weeks that I love called "Hero" and every time I hear it, I think of these women. I love them dearly and I know that I can always ask them about/for anything and they will always help me. They are all wonderful examples of Christlike love and service. <3 <3 <3

I try so hard to have charity in my heart and to love everyone. I love to serve people and make them happy or ease their burdens. But sometimes it's a little hard, and so I remind myself that they are children of God, too, and He loves them just as much as He loves me. And, though that doesn't automatically make it easier to love them, it helps me remember that they are imperfect–like me–and they are just trying to do their best, like me. Charity never fails, and everyone needs charity because that's the best kind of love: Christlike love. That is what I am trying to show and have every day. I am trying to be like Jesus, and I am trying to be His hands, and one of the best ways to do that is to have Christlike love for everyone around me.