Christ taught his disciples “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.”1
Sometimes following this commandment can be hard, especially in situations where we are struggling with misfortunes and setbacks in our own lives. However, President Thomas S. Monson taught us that the mighty “powers of Heaven” will always follow us and our families and our fellow brothers and sisters when we take time to “examine our lives and determine to follow the Savior’s example by being kind, loving, and charitable.” 2
Kolkata recently witnessed a massive surge in COVID-19 cases and in May, a powerful cyclone devastated homes and left millions of people without power, telephone connection, and potable water. On 10th May, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, our family, reached out to around 400 families of poor people around the locality to provide them with staple food items like rice, pulses, soya nuggets, potatoes, and onions.
When I floated the idea of helping people during this difficult time with my family, they showed positive interest and were happy to help. Every member in our family contributed. Even my seven year-old granddaughter, Rishita, pitched in with a small sum of money from her allowance. We rationed out food items to 400 poor families in our neighborhood with the help of a few of our neighbors. My heart was filled with immense joy and love for being involved in this project with my family and neighbors, the same love that the good Samaritan felt for the wounded man who was travelling to Jericho.3
I know that the promise President Monson extends to us is true and our Heavenly Father blesses us for all our efforts when we serve others who are in need.4 Christ taught us this principle and He lived it by performing the greatest act of charity humankind will ever know: His infinite Atonement. How grateful I am for that, and to be able to witness His pure and infinite love for me, every day.
I know I can do my bit to serve others and follow His example, and so can all of us. And when all of us do our little bit, we can bring so much joy and love around us, even in the most troubling times.
Notes
1 John 13:34-35
2 Thomas S. Monson, “Kindness, Charity and Love,” Liahona, April 2017.
3 Luke 10:30-35
4 Deuteronomy 15: 10