See Thou Tell No Man

"See thou tell no man"
Matthew 6:1

When you do a good deed do you later find yourself tooting your own horn to friends and family? Do you pride yourself on your willingness to be charitable, compassionate and altruistic?

Learning humility can be a complicated and lifelong task. Be as we have been told time and time again, it is impossible to get into the Kingdom of God without it.

People who fear that others will notice their weakness or imperfections will involve themselves in acts of kindness that appear, on the surface, to be Christ like charity. But they do so for the wrong reason. Perhaps unwittingly, they seek the approval of others and so they create scenarios in their life that casts them in a good light. They want the world to notice their good works so their flaws will go unnoticed.

The problem is that the Lord has told us that without humility our acts of kindness hold little value. Like the Pharisees who meticulously lived the Law of Moses in order to be seen as righteous in the eyes of the public, bragging about our good deeds comes from a place of insecurity and pride. We feel so good about ourselves that humility flies out the window.

Christ-like charity isn’t about us. It is about serving the Lord by serving others. Our needs for accolades and praise need to be left behind as we give of ourselves solely for the purpose of helping another.

It can be a fine line to follow, wanting to tell people how charitable we have been and needing to remain anonymous, but if we are to set our sights on righteous living, we need to find other ways to fill our emotional needs and allow our charity to be Christ like.

The Two Sides of Adversity

“As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort”(see Mosiah 18:8–9).

As members of a ward family we are often called upon to assist in caring for others in our ward who need physical, emotional and spiritual help. Doing so not only brings blessings to those who are in need but it helps us, the provider, deepen our compassion, feel needed, and live less selfishly.

All of us will experience the difficulties that this life can bring; surviving difficulty is a large part of our journey in this estate. Growing through those difficulties is not just about learning the lesson of the trial, but it is about humbling ourselves enough to ask for and to receive help from others.

Both sides of adversity can be a growing experience. In the long run, the adversity of one can benefit the lives of many as long as humility and compassion work together. Bishop Richard C. Edgley, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric related the following in Conference last October:

"From bearing one another’s burdens as ward members, we have learned several lessons:

1. The Lord’s organization is fully adequate to know and care for those with even the most dire emotional and spiritual needs.
2. Adversity can bring us closer to God, with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and the Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations.
3. Members who suffer tragedy firsthand often experience an increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding. They become the first, last, and often the most effective responders in giving comfort and showing compassion to others.
4. A ward, as well as a family, draws closer together as it endures together—what happens to one happens to all.
5. And perhaps most important, we can each be more compassionate and caring because we have each had our own personal trials and experiences to draw from. We can endure together."

I have experienced both sides of diversity and I have also been blessed with enormous growth from each side. Let's be grateful for our ward family and for the challenges the Lord gives us to work through. In the arms of our ward family we never have to tackle hardship alone.

8.0 Earthquake in Peru & the LDS Church

Several days ago Peru suffered a devastating 8.0 earthquake near Lima. At least 500 people died and some area and outlying areas are nearly obliterated. Of the 430,000 members of the church in Peru 7 were killed and 14 were injured. All missionaries are safe and accounted for.

Although the areas in the town around the temple were seriously damaged, the temple, the mission home and ward buildings were not damaged and many are being used as shelters for those who have been displaced from their homes.

Since the quake, missionaries have been helping with the cleanup and search through the rubble. Yesterday the church reported to the Deseret News that it had already sent
* $82,000 worth of medical instruments,
* $200,000 worth of pharmaceuticals
* a truckload of relief goods
* 3,000 family food boxes
* hygiene kits and tarps.
* 10,000 blankets
* tents and other emergency supplies

One Peruvian man stated that he was "so grateful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because they are always the first group to arrive on the scene with aid."

When we pay our fast offerings and other tithes & offerings we are doing our part in giving aid to people all over the world who are dealing with catastrophes we can only imagine. I have to say that I feel so happy to do what I can to relieve the suffering of others by paying tithes and offerings. Doing so helps me to remember how very blessed I am and how selfish I would be if I were to ignore those in need.

Who's a Member of Your Ward?

Mormons are just people, regular, human-type people. Sure, we have knowledge and opportunities that have been offered to us and we have a path to follow that not everyone understands, but other than that, we are just like anyone else.

Why do I bring this up? Because, while we have been given much, we sometimes forget that we, and the other members of our wards and stakes, are human too. So I have compiled some typical, ward statistics that I thought you might find interesting.

• One out of every 100 people in the average ward population has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
• Ten percent of your ward population has experienced depression this year and half of them deal with a lifetime of depressive episodes. Forty-five percent of your ward members experience an episode of depression sometime before the age of 45.
• Fifteen percent of the general population has a diagnosable personality disorder.
• 0.5 – 2.5 percent of your ward population suffers with clinical paranoia.
• Two percent of your ward population has Antisocial Personality Disorder (formerly known as sociopaths)
• Two percent have incurable Borderline Personality Disorder
• One percent is diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and another 15% have significant symptoms of the disorder.
• Five percent have a schizoid or schizotypal disorder.
• Ten percent are significantly physically disabled.
• 2.6 to 3.4% are legally blind.
• 8.2% have significant hearing impairments – 0.8% have severe to profound hearing impairments.
• Three percent are mentally retarded.
• Between one and eight percent of children have specific learning disabilities.
• Between 0.5-1.5% have recurring seizures.
• Twenty-four percent have been divorced at least once.
• And 0.320% of all incarcerated people are LDS.

Let’s get about the business of loving our neighbors and spend much less time judging each other.