Sabbath Devotional :: Enduring Love

I love Christmas time. For me, part of the joy of Christmas lies in long-standing family and community traditions. I grew up in Utah and always associated Christmas with all things winter: snowy landscapes, hot chocolate, more formal family dinners with heavier foods, carolers clothed in scarfs and mittens singing about a winter wonderland, and dark evenings for viewing Christmas lights.

When I was on my mission, I approached the idea of Christmas in the hot Australian summer with some apprehension. Traditions in Australia vary from family to family, of course. But it was common to think of Christmas on the beach or at a backyard barbeque. Some gatherings were outdoors and more casual with summery foods. Many of my favorite Christmas carols didn’t even make sense in that climate. (“Oh, the weather outside is frightful” No, it is delightful.) The sun stayed out quite late, so even though some houses had outdoor lights, we could never see them. (We had a strict curfew).

However, even with a dramatic change in tradition, climate, and traditions, Christmas still felt like Christmas.

I was a missionary and spent my days approaching strangers. The closer we came to Christmas day, the kinder people were. There was a genuine spirit of love and community in the air. Although they weren’t any more likely to listen to our message, people we met seemed sincerely happier.

We often hear about people rushing around busy and stressed during the holidays. That is undoubtedly true. But there can be a sort of joy in the busyness. That was the case in Australia.

I believe that one reason for the joy is that at Christmas time, our thoughts turn to Christ. As the birth of Christ is celebrated, the Holy Ghost is more present in our lives and that radiates out in the world.

Accompanying the spirit of Christmas is the spirit of service. As a whole, our societies look to serve and help one another more at Christmastime than at other times. This is a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, who embodies perfect love.

John referred to himself as “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7) and Jesus referred to John as “my beloved” (see 3 Nephi 28:6). I believe that John, who had a very special and close relationship with Christ, understood on a personal level what it means to be loved by Jesus. Here are a few of the things we can learn from John about Christ’s perfect love:

“Hereby perceive we the love of Christ, because he laid down his life for us” (JST 1 John 3:16).

“We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

“God is love” (1 John 4:8).

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

We are truly, perfectly loved. At the most recent General Conference, Elder Uchtdorf said, “If the Savior were here right now, what would He say to you? I believe He would start by expressing His deep love for you. He might say it with words, but it would also flow so strongly — just from His presence — that it would be unmistakable, reaching deep into your heart, filling your whole soul!”

Christmas spurs love in us because Christ is love.

We know we are not meant to bask lazily in His love. As John recorded, Jesus taught us unequivocally to love one another.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

“And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:21).

The closer we are to Christ, the more natural it is to love and serve our fellow beings. We see this all around at Christmastime. People serve as families and as church groups. We serve as individuals and with clubs. We notice the poor and forgotten, and help them know they are remembered.

Certain places, like blood banks and homeless shelters, can become overwhelmed during December with the generosity. I have read requests from some of these places to please remember them at other times of the year, too. People are still hungry in February, after all.

But in February, many of us have moved on from the motivating Christmas spirit. Mormon’s teachings on love, which he refers to as charity, can give insight on the love of Christ beyond Christmas.

“Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.”

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind.”

“Charity never faileth” (Moroni 7:45-47).

This long-suffering, enduring, never failing charity is the way Christ loves us. We are commanded to love each other in this way (as I have loved you).

My own experience has taught me that never failing charity can mean to keep serving without judging; and that in addition to focusing on immediate needs, we invest in long-term care.

It can be fun and exciting to create a Sub for Santa for a struggling family. But what happens when they are still struggling the next Christmas? And the next? It might become boring or we might judge their circumstances, and we start to look for someone new to serve. When someone has a medical emergency, we jump to the rescue. We bring food and offer to help out with their children or with housework. But when they have continuing health problems or chronic pain, our compassion wears thin and we expect them to figure out some self-reliance. Judgment creeps in limiting our desire to continue to serve.

Longsuffering, enduring, never failing — to love as Christ loves is not always exciting and fulfilling. It can be tedious and with our limited mortal perspective, we wonder if it is helping.

When we focus on immediate needs, we feel immediate results. If we serve dinner to the homeless, we see them eat and we know we have done something good in the world. But charity, which suffereth long, would require us to also invest in long-term care and solutions for our neighbors and community members.

Being involved in political advocacy has taught me an element of what it means to be long-suffering. When the media reports something dramatic happening, our emotions are engaged and we immediately respond by expressing dismay, researching solutions, and contacting our elected officials. Then the news cycle moves on and we move on with it. Much of political advocacy is inspired by genuine love for others. To make that an enduring, never-failing love, we continue to advocate even when it is dull and boring and out of the limelight.

I love Christmas. I love the chance to refocus on Christ and celebrate His life with joy and love. When the excitement of Christmas wears off, I hope to continue to do the sometimes tedious work of loving and serving others in lasting and enduring ways.

It helps me to remember that I can have His help to work toward lasting charity: “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love” (Moroni 7:48). Christ, who loves us enduringly, promises that He will fill us with His love for others, including the ability to endure in love. Christ’s love will never fail.