True Love

The phrase "true love" tends to denote a fantasy of dozens of beautiful red roses, fine chocolates, sparkling diamonds, candlelight at a ritzy restaurant and two perfectly shaped lovers spending an expensive night on the town in their finest attire while gazing into one another's eyes between passionate kisses. While romance and infatuation can be an appropriate way to show care for another individual in the right time and place, it is important that we don't mistake understand them for love everlasting. Roses wilt, chocolates don't last longer than a day or two (at least in my house), diamonds said to be "forever" can be lost or stolen, candlelight melts into darkness, the flavors of a pricey meal are quickly forgotten, fine attire tears and wears into dust over time, etc. Please don't misunderstand that I am denouncing any of the above; all of the aforementioned items may be used to reflect thoughtfulness and wonderful memories in a relationship, but they aren't intended to replace or supersede a greater love - the love of Christ.

Christ's love has always been and will always be the greatest of all manifestations of love for all of us (his brothers and sisters). The scriptures refer to this true love as charity. Moroni, (a prophet of the ancient Americas whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon), in writing a few of the words of his father, Mormon, recorded, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.” Loving one another the way Christ loves each of us means that we are quick to forgive, we chose not to be offended, and we continue to reach out our hand to those who seek to destroy us. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of this was when Christ proclaimed "Father forgive them, for they know now what they do," after He was "despised and rejected" by the very people He bled at every pore for.

Finding perfect love like that of Christ's may seem a daunting quest, but the scriptures tell us that we CAN obtain a pure love of Christ as we seek to follow Him and reach out to one another. According to Elder Oaks, one of the 12 apostles ordained and chosen by the Lord to serve just as apostles of old - in our modern day - says: "The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness is [because], “the pure love of Christ” is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is something one becomes."

We must become like Christ to exude his perfect love. Whether giving a rose or a helping hand, we must do so without expecting anything in return, out of pure goodness and with selfless motives. In the Bible we read "if ye love me, keep my commandments." If we love the Lord, we will do what he asks, when he asks it, and in a manner he would approve of.