On Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! My favorite thoughts on love are found both in the New Testament (1 Cor. 13) and The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (Moroni 7). In particular, this statement has resonated with me many times:

…if ye have not charity, ye are nothing,
for charity never faileth….
But charity is the pure love of Christ,
and it endureth forever;
and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day,
it shall be well with him.

I have a wonderful colleague who has been one of my most faithful supporters over the years. We didn’t always see eye to eye, and sometimes I would find myself at odds with her, anywhere from frustrated to furious at what she was choosing to do. During those challenging moments, I would inevitably feel that what God wanted me to do was get over my pride or my anger or my stubbornness – and love her despite our differences.

It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t usually even fun. But over time, I grew in my capacity, and I learned that I can love even when we don’t agree. I learned that I can love even when my friend’s choices hurt me or those I care for and work with. I even learned to love the parts of her that sometimes drove me crazy and the ones that made me roll my eyes. Sometimes I wondered why, but always the Spirit gently guided me back to the path of love.

This same colleague was recently laid to rest after a brief battle with an aggressive disease. Although I grieved, in my sorrow I more clearly understood the Lord’s hand in our relationship. All those times I had swallowed my pride and yielded to the Spirit’s gentle guidance had softened my heart and taught me to love her the way Jesus Christ loves her – as a daughter of God, a sister, a friend, a woman of infinite worth. It shed great light on the nature of our loving Father in Heaven, His Son Jesus Christ, and the infinite Atonement He wrought on our behalf. And it gave me greater hope in the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart,
that ye may be filled with this love,
which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;
that ye may become the sons of God;
that when he shall appear we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is;
that we may have this hope;
that we may be purified even as he is pure.

For me, Valentine’s Day is not just about candy, chocolates, diamonds, and love notes; it is about giving another the benefit of the doubt, of seeking his or her eternal growth and welfare, of true forgiveness. It is acknowledging that the power of the Atonement of Christ will change a heart, and thus make a new man or woman of the one who caused us pain or sorrow. It is about the pure love of Christ.