How to get more charity
Hi Friends!
Summer is here! Is that exciting or overwhelming? Maybe both? It sort of feels like no matter what your situation is, season changes bring new circumstances! New weather, new expectations, and often a shift in schedule. It can be a lot, even when it’s good. Life is constantly changing and full of transitions—how can we find peace as we navigate all of it?
This is one of the many questions about peace we have set out to answer through our study this summer at Magnify. We have found that breaking things down one attribute at a time and studying them through the lens of how they relate to peace, has helped us make new connections we hadn’t seen before.
To kick off our attributes of peace summer party, we’ve been studying CHARITY! It is a word we hear a lot, often in really big places like themes and mission statements, and scripture—because it really is a big deal! It is the attribute that all the others fall under.
It might seem like a leap to say that increased charity will lead to increased peace, but that’s a bold claim we are willing to stand by! In fact, it’s safe to say that increased charity will actually lead to an increase in everything good. Bold words! But true!
But have you ever felt like becoming more charitable is an intimidating pursuit? We often frame charity as huge acts of service and monumental levels of giving. That’s a lot, especially when you feel at capacity in your life already. What if it’s simpler than we realize? What if it’s actually accessible to us RIGHT NOW? Let’s break it down!
Feel Better in 5! How to get more charity!
Ditch the pedestal.
When we think of charity as something that requires quilting 5000 blankets, feeding the whole neighborhood daily, or helping every single person in need, it’s easy to feel intimidated. Let’s take charity off the pedestal and start seeing all the simple ways it’s possible in our lives right now! Exactly as we are.
Start seeing it!
Charity is happening every day! We are giving it! We are receiving it! Little stuff—like reacting with love instead of anger, or someone returning our cart for us at the grocery store. When we start looking for it, we will see how much it’s already happening.
Ask for more!
We get to ask for more! “When we humble ourselves before God and pray with all the energy of our hearts, God will grant us charity.” -President Nelson
Use what you have.
Charity does not require a specific skill set or talent, it only requires us to share what we have. Think about the gifts you have and get creative in the ways they can be shared. Nothing is too small, and whatever we have is truly enough.
Get into a charity state of mind!
We often think of charity as taking tangible, physical action, but it is also a mentality. How we carry ourselves, how we speak, and how we treat one another is as much charity as any grand gesture. Those shifts are available to us right now in this moment.
"Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won’t profit you at all." Joseph B. Wirthlin
We can do this!