Charity

In the past few months I've been praying to understand what Charity LOOKED like. I knew that quite often I felt no feelings of love towards those I cared so much about, so what could I do to have charity?? I didn't even realize it, but I wanted to understand what the essential choice was in this virtue I so desired. God did.

While reading C S Lewis' Mere Christianity yesterday I had a major break through.

Starting with "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," Lewis says, "our love for ourselves does not mean that we like ourselves. It means that we wish our own good." Right. That made sense.

Following that line of reasoning, Lewis explains that "it would be quite wrong to think that the way to become charitable is to sit trying to manufacture affectionate feelings." We must start by wishing them good, then "treat everyone kindly" so that one "finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on."

So I have found that "Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is [after all really] an affair of the will." And God "will give us the feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not."

Having Charity, then, is not about feelings.

It's about choosing
to wish the best and serve others the best I can.

The feelings of love then
are a gift from God for choosing Charity.

Thank you, Father, for helping me understand.

Knowledge really is freedom and in this case
the freedom to love!!!

I had thought this would be a good post on Facebook. Obviously, I needed more room. ;)