WHAT IS CHARITY?

When I grew up I learned that CHARITY was when you helped a poor person who had no food, nor money.

To give alms to those in need.

I connected it with something “manually” you did for somebody, like throwing some pennies to the beggar on street.

But as I got older – I learned and realized that the word CHARITY extends to more than that and realized that my mother had taught me CHARITY her way.

I remember right after the war ended 5 May 1945 how she fed 24 soldiers and that they were sleeping side by side on our floor.

I also learned it other ways. When I was five years old I had an ear infection and was placed in the hospital where all the nurses were nuns.  I have no clue where in Copenhagen it was, but I remember their “loving care” and I especially remember that they would reward me for not crying too much from my infected ear by making me “a sweet cup”.

It was very simple recipe.  It consisted of beaten egg and sugar with a little coco in. Oh my, did I love that.

The interesting thing about that was; that what we later called the “Mormor Special” for me is automatically – in my brain – connects to gentleness,  kindness and love.

I realize that I have not always been thoughtful and CHARITABLE,

One event sticks out in my mind.  My mother was working for “Københavns Telefon Aktie Selskab” – “Copenhagen Telephone company. The agreement at that company was that after 10 years of working there, you would have full pension” from the company in your retirement.

After 9.5 years of working there, they fired my mother.  She was devastated and begged me to stay with her, but I wanted to live on my own and did not have the CHARITY in my soul to give her what she needed.

I wished now that  I could go back and change it, but it is too late.

Being CHARITABLE is not just about “what we can do for others” it is also about what we should NOT DO.”

Being critical and judgmental of others – especially those we profess to love -  is THE OPPOSITE OF BEING CHARITABLE.

We can be too judgmental of others views and opinion and so eager to see and point out others mistakes and so eager to hide our own.

We Judge appearances of other.  Their size, clothes, hair styles, the size of their homes, how they speak, what kind of jobs they do,

The following story was told by our President of the LDS church Thomas Monson (2010)

A woman was critical of her neighbor’s laundry.  Every time the neighbor were hanging out her clothes she expressed to her husband “how grey her sheets were instead of being white, as white sheets should be”

This went on for a long time.

Then one day the same woman expressed to her husband:  “Wow, she has finally learned to wash her clothes properly.  They are REALLY, REALLY WHITE TODAY”.

Her husband turned around and said to his wife: “ I cleaned our windows yesterday”.

We are not CHARITABLE when we cannot forgive those who have wronged us.

When we feel jealousy of others we are not charitable.

Not recognizing and acknowledging others efforts to be kind and helpful to us, is not CHARITY.

Mother Theresa said: “If You Judge People then you have No Time To love them”

I believe

CHARITY is a “State of Being”

CHARITY is more than giving of our substance. It is to look for the good in others, no matter how they are.

CHARITY is being kind, understanding and compassionate.

CHARITY is respect and courtesy towards other people with other opinions than ours.

CHARITY is patience and forgiveness for “those who have hurt us and let us down”.

President Monson  said:  Charity is love In Action

Vibeke Lindhardt

19 April 2017

PS: My husband Bent Lindhardt composed a long in 1963 on CHARITY:
Here it is;

CHARITY

If people they would show each other charity.

Forgive each other's failures and mistakes.

Don't talk about the things that you don't know for sure.

but take a mirror, and put on the brakes.

The jealousy and grudges that we sometimes feel.

The smiles and kindness that you have built up,

can break down if we don't show others charity.

The love will die.  Communication stop.

We all arrived from heaven.  From eternities,

and hopefully you'll se me there again.

So if we would just show each other charity.

The road back there is easier my friend.

Most people know what love is, and just how we feel

toward our families. - Both big or small.

But there are limitations to that love we feel.

It's only shared within our house and wall.

But charity is much more than the love we share.

It's smiles and help to everyone we meet.

Its a wish to care for all of those who come our way.

To feels God's love. To serve him at his feet.

We all arrived from heaven.  From eternities,

and hopefully you'll se me there again.

So if we would just show each other charity.

The road back there is easier my friend.

If people they would show each other charity

and smile and help both enemies and friends.

Cause charity is "love in action" everywhere.

The wish to serve and help and show we care.

Yes, even in our homes we need more charity.

Be kinder towards those we really love.

Cause charity it shows the spirit in our home

and comes from Heavenly Father up above.

We all arrived from heaven.  From eternities,

and hopefully you'll se me there again.

So if we would just show each other charity.

The road back there is easier my friend.

Pay forward, and it all on you depends.

Show love to enemies, as well as friends.