"Charity isn't an act but a condition or state of being." - Dallin H. Oaks
The story of The Good Samaritan as recorded in Luke chapter 10 is an oft told tale. The man in dire straits on the side of the path is ignored by his own people, the Jews, but is loved and saved by one who was despised by the Jews: a Samaritan. What is that could motivate a man to reach out to his enemy in such love? What could have prepared this Samaritan to do what the even the Jews would not do for one of their own? Such an act comes with consistent personal preparation and a willingness to act according to the thoughts of God even when they contradict the thoughts and traditions of men.
One experience I had in Mexico City taught me this principle very clearly. Being one of the three most populated cities in the world and having a high poverty rate, Mexico city is home to countless beggars. Many of these people are sincere in their needs, many are seeking money to fuel their vices and addictions, and those they solicit are often unable to discern between the truly needy and the deceptive greedy. I often gave a peso or two as I could just to avoid conflict and to help those who might actually need it, but because my logic and the thoughts of man taught that giving money to beggars does not help them. I don't dispute that, but one night I realized that this is not always true. The thoughts of God impressed upon my spirit led me to act in a way very opposite of what I considered to be correct. Several of us gringos (foreigners) went to el Palacio de Bellas Artes, a very ritzy theater in the center of Mexico City.
As we waited for our taxi outside the theater after watching a presentation of traditional Mexican dances, a very poor and desperate man approached our group. He told us of how he was taught that he should work for all of his money and he was ashamed to be begging. He was stranded far from home, and he was ill. His plea was rapid and seemed rehearsed, but he then broke into tears as the shame of what he had to do overcame him. The thought was clear in mind, "Give him money." He thanked me and then walked away. My thoughts couldn't turn away from him, though, and I continued to watch him as he was rejected by countless people of his own country. I knew that I hadn't done enough; he need someone to pray with him. One of our group had an extra copy of El Libro de Mormon (The Book of Mormon), so two of us approached the beggar where he was pleading in vain with another group and told him we had something more to give to him. His first words were, "¿Ustedes son cristianos?" ("Are you Christians?"). As we confirmed that we were he asked that we would pray with him, so I was given an opportunity to follow the impression I received as I placed my arm around his shoulder and prayed for my brother I had just met. As I looked into his face after our prayer, I could see that the desperation in his face had been replaced with peace.
He expressed gratitude and told us that he had begun reading in the Bible just fifty days prior to our meeting; he had turned his life to God. As we gave him the Book of Mormon, he pressed it to his lips and then carefully guarded in his arms the remainder of the time that we were speaking. He was overjoyed to have a second testament of our Savior Jesus Christ, and he could feel from our words, and even more from our actions, that our testimonies of Christ, of the restoration of Christ's church, and of the Book of Mormon were true. We were about to leave, and he praised God for sending us to provide for him the blessing he had sought at the Lord's hand - we were the foreigners who had done for him what his own people would not. The gratitude he had for what had transpired motivated me to place my last $200pesos into his hand as we parted. He merely wept and thanked God as we made our way to our taxi.
This blessing to serve another came to me simply because I recognized that the Lord was placing thoughts in my mind and heart that were foreign to my own logic, and I followed. I had prepared myself through study of the scriptures, prayer, repentance, and consistently seeking for opportunities to serve in my daily life. The Lord had filled me with compassion drop by drop over days of such preparation and experiences, and then when a poor, wayfaring man of grief crossed my path I was unable to turn him away. Had I filled my time with seeking my own pleasures and worldly pursuits, my thoughts would not have yielded to the subtle impressions of the Spirit of God. We must all learn from this beggar, and give glory to God and humble ourselves to plead for His mercy and compassion daily. If we will beg with desire, sincerity, and gratitude, then we will become compassionate; we will be instruments in the hands of God to answer the prayers of His children.
One experience I had in Mexico City taught me this principle very clearly. Being one of the three most populated cities in the world and having a high poverty rate, Mexico city is home to countless beggars. Many of these people are sincere in their needs, many are seeking money to fuel their vices and addictions, and those they solicit are often unable to discern between the truly needy and the deceptive greedy. I often gave a peso or two as I could just to avoid conflict and to help those who might actually need it, but because my logic and the thoughts of man taught that giving money to beggars does not help them. I don't dispute that, but one night I realized that this is not always true. The thoughts of God impressed upon my spirit led me to act in a way very opposite of what I considered to be correct. Several of us gringos (foreigners) went to el Palacio de Bellas Artes, a very ritzy theater in the center of Mexico City.
As we waited for our taxi outside the theater after watching a presentation of traditional Mexican dances, a very poor and desperate man approached our group. He told us of how he was taught that he should work for all of his money and he was ashamed to be begging. He was stranded far from home, and he was ill. His plea was rapid and seemed rehearsed, but he then broke into tears as the shame of what he had to do overcame him. The thought was clear in mind, "Give him money." He thanked me and then walked away. My thoughts couldn't turn away from him, though, and I continued to watch him as he was rejected by countless people of his own country. I knew that I hadn't done enough; he need someone to pray with him. One of our group had an extra copy of El Libro de Mormon (The Book of Mormon), so two of us approached the beggar where he was pleading in vain with another group and told him we had something more to give to him. His first words were, "¿Ustedes son cristianos?" ("Are you Christians?"). As we confirmed that we were he asked that we would pray with him, so I was given an opportunity to follow the impression I received as I placed my arm around his shoulder and prayed for my brother I had just met. As I looked into his face after our prayer, I could see that the desperation in his face had been replaced with peace.
He expressed gratitude and told us that he had begun reading in the Bible just fifty days prior to our meeting; he had turned his life to God. As we gave him the Book of Mormon, he pressed it to his lips and then carefully guarded in his arms the remainder of the time that we were speaking. He was overjoyed to have a second testament of our Savior Jesus Christ, and he could feel from our words, and even more from our actions, that our testimonies of Christ, of the restoration of Christ's church, and of the Book of Mormon were true. We were about to leave, and he praised God for sending us to provide for him the blessing he had sought at the Lord's hand - we were the foreigners who had done for him what his own people would not. The gratitude he had for what had transpired motivated me to place my last $200pesos into his hand as we parted. He merely wept and thanked God as we made our way to our taxi.
This blessing to serve another came to me simply because I recognized that the Lord was placing thoughts in my mind and heart that were foreign to my own logic, and I followed. I had prepared myself through study of the scriptures, prayer, repentance, and consistently seeking for opportunities to serve in my daily life. The Lord had filled me with compassion drop by drop over days of such preparation and experiences, and then when a poor, wayfaring man of grief crossed my path I was unable to turn him away. Had I filled my time with seeking my own pleasures and worldly pursuits, my thoughts would not have yielded to the subtle impressions of the Spirit of God. We must all learn from this beggar, and give glory to God and humble ourselves to plead for His mercy and compassion daily. If we will beg with desire, sincerity, and gratitude, then we will become compassionate; we will be instruments in the hands of God to answer the prayers of His children.
In Luke 10:33 it says of the Samaritan, "he had compassion on him," (emphasis added). It doesn't say that he developed compassion, found compassion, decided to have compassion, or that compassion magically appeared in his heart at that moment. He had compassion already. This wasn't the singular defining moment of the Good Samaritan's life, it was simply an expression of who he already was and a step further down the path of who he was already striving to be. At some point in his life, the Samaritan had felt the hand of the Master upon him, and his spirit likely felt an ineffable intimation within his soul calling him to follow in the footsteps of the Savior. The choice to have compassion, the choice to be a witness of God in all times, in every circumstance, and in every action was made long before the Good Samaritan found himself serving his enemy on the road to Jericho. So, too, must we answer the call and become disciples of Christ.
