Charity

"Empathy is feeling your pain in my heart"

I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare... If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us,... they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures excludes them."

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

"We become more substantive as we serve others-indeed, it is easier to 'find'ourselves because there is so much more of us to find! "

President Spencer W. Kimball

Let us ask ourselves the questions: 'Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?' What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace- to have inspired gratitude in another human being.

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.

Pres. Thomas S. Monson as quoted in Gospel Principles p 176

Yesterday I had the pleasure of teaching a 30 minute lesson on the subject of charity. It was a joy to study about this principle. I won't rehearse my lesson here but it was a great experience to study about what charity is and is not. For a great discussion about the parable of the Good Samaritan read John Welsh's February 2007 Ensign article The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols.