Friday, April 23, 2010

Expecting the Best

"Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word. We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more.

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of being a basher repulsive.

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Marvin J. Ashton

Copyright © 2010 by Natasha M.

11 comments:

Becky said...

So true.

Nancy said...

What a great quote. Brenna has part of it on her wall. Thanks for posting more.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Love this post!. I agree w/you 100%... thanks for stopping by mine..

Rhoda said...

What a wonderful way to end my sabbath day. What a great quote! Thanks.

BTW I'm a Teachinforth follower too!

Amy said...

I could not have said it better!

Also, I found you on Jason's blog! I love those Joey stories!

Teachinfourth said...

I think that I really need to do better with charity myself…good thing I have a few more years in life to get it down.

Gerb said...

What a beautiful quote. I love it - and it gives me a push in something I've been working on lately. Thanks!

Cheeseboy said...

Marvin J. Ashton is absolutely my favorite apostle that I don't remember. This is a great quote. However, no one has ever given me a casserole and I would find it very charitable if someone did.

shoezimm said...

Teachinfourth follower here...but I am so glad I hopped into your blog today. I had never read that particular quote before but I will definately cherish it. Its funny because my VT and I were just talking about this subject the other day and I was of the mindset that charity is giving of yourself but she took this quote's stance that sometimes its what you don't do that also counts.


It certainly gives me something to ponder.....

Natasha and Jesse said...

Becky- Love you! I can always count on you for comments.

Nancy- I'm glad I was able to find the whole quote. I love the part about how charity makes the thought of being a basher repulsive. (Love you too!)

Chrissy- You're welcome back anytime. Thanks for your comment!

CQ- It really is such a good quote. Thanks for stopping by.

Amy- Thanks for visiting. The Joey stories are great, for sure.

Teachinfourth- That makes two of us. This is a good reminder.

Gerb- It really is beautiful. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheeseboy- I'm sure I would find it charitable if somebody gave me a casserole (or cookies) too.

Shoezimm- Very true. Charity really does encompass so much. Great quote. Thanks for your comment! P.S. Are you Teachinfourth's sister?

shopgirl said...

I really like this post about charity. You are definitely right and I've got to practice charity more in my life. Thank you for reminding me.

p.s. I'm now following you on google connect.

Cheers!

Rambles with Reese

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...