Become

Becoming Project 2015: Charity


     There are times when we know God is watching over us.  We can feel His hand in our lives, in the events around us, and we know-- with absolute certainty-- that something big is happening.  The Becoming Project felt like an opportunity from my Heavenly Father to show me something wonderful, something unparalleled, and something I never suspected: inner strength, love, and peace.  The assignment was simple: pick an attribute of the Savior that I would like to further develop within me, write down some specific scriptures and goals associated with that attribute, and practice becoming more like that attribute.

     In Matthew 12: 28--29 it says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...learn of me..." 

     Although the assignment appeared simple, to implement it was not.  I knew immediately that Heavenly Father wanted me to work on a specific attribute: charity. In answering the question: 'Why did you choose this particular attribute?'  my response was, 'This attribute is important... it can be easy to forget to constantly have love in our hearts.'   Sometimes we can all too easily let an event, or a person bring us to a point where we allow hate or misery to overshadow everything else.  Our Heavenly Father loves us, and he wants us to learn, to grow, to become more like Him.  The Becoming Project was an opportunity to do just that.

     Whenever change happens, children have a tendency to slip through the cracks-- and I didn't want that to happen to mine.  Instead, I made them my focus.  In Mosiah 4:15 it states, ...teach children to love and serve one another'.  One of my goals was to take each of my children out for some one on one time.  Sometimes, with time being short, I combined our outing with an errand, but other times it was just me and them and some of their favorite food.  I've also helped them with their chores, sometimes doing it for them.  I've noticed that as I have chosen to spend time with them, and specifically spend time for them, they have chosen to open up about their own worries, offer help to one another more willingly, and a charitable love is felt for one another.

     In the beginning, my intermediate goal was to, 'integrate the love I feel in my heart [for my children] with the way I express that love...'  I loved sarcasm-- I loved the witty, the snarky, and the irony in my day-- but I knew that sometimes it came across as harsh, and unfeeling.  Not everyone appreciates it, and for my Becoming Project to be real, to really make a difference for me, I needed to focus on pure charity-- and that meant the sarcasm had to significantly decrease.  This, over time,  became an indicator of true change for me.  My words, my tone of voice became softer, more full of love.  At first it felt strange and unfamiliar, but as I focused on feeling the love of Christ in my heart, the words just came out differently-- and I felt differently when I spoke.

     Life didn't magically get easy-- although countless times I would kneel in prayer asking for things to become so.  Instead, things got more busy, and more hectic than ever. My days included driving my daughter across town as she had started religion courses, helping my sons' with their scouting and school activities as they became more complicated. I had to constantly re-affirm my decision to put my Becoming Project into practice, and work on keeping charity as a living, breathing, entity in my heart.

     Sometimes I chose spontaneous service to help me feel the love of Christ in my heart.  Other times I felt the love of Christ in my heart so strongly, I couldn't help but do something -- and those became the days when many beautiful things happened. * "I overcame many difficulties, and put aside things that on the surface may have seemed important, but in the eternities, will not have compared to keeping close to my children, and having them know without a doubt of my love for them."  These are some of the words I used in reporting my progress. Setting aside the 'busy' things, and focusing on the important things, helped me maintain an inner calm and peace of heart.  Although things were not getting easier, I was becoming stronger in my determination.  I was seeing change.

     Love for those around you-- even in difficult times, is hard.  '...be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming patient, full of love.'  Alma 13:28  The more I focused on my Becoming Project, the more I found I could more easily discern how my children were doing, and how those around me were doing.  I was also noticing opportunities for me to show love for others through service in other ways too.


    "Just as faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, love and hate cannot exist in the same heart, at one and the same time.  Love can push out the hate and fear, but we must be willing to give it the power to do so by listening and obeying the Holy Ghost.  When we do, we become patient, full of love, and we draw closer to our Heavenly Father." I still believe these words that I wrote months ago.  I know that as I have focused on becoming more Christ-like, I have felt the love and peace in my heart increase.  Charity is the pure love of Christ.  'Charity is everlasting love...' 2 Nephi 26:30     When I read this scripture, I know what it means.  It means that focusing on having love-- pure love-- in our hearts means that as it dwells in our hearts, it can remain there despite any obstacles or difficulties we may have.


    Becoming more like Christ isn't for the faint of heart.  It is not easy.  I have had my hard days.  I have also had days when my heart sings with pure joy and love.  Change-- true, internal change, cannot be contained.  It slips through the cracks of the surface, and soon that change is everywhere in our lives. It can permeate the very air around us.  I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Becoming Project.  Through this unusual assignment, I have had my heart lifted and carried.


"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:30

Become someone better.

Become. 




*Events soon to be posted in 'A Christmas Surprise'