I often hear well-meaning people state that while they know
we are commanded to love our neighbor and to care for the poor and needy- there
comes a point where we MUST stop doing so, because otherwise people will never
learn to care for themselves, to be self-reliant.
I suspect that this line of thinking (which is very popular
in the LDS culture) comes from believing that we have two contradicting
commandments- love your neighbor (and your enemy) and be hard working, industrious
and become self-reliant. My guess is
that in an attempt to “balance” these two commandments we logically assume that
we should first, be charitable. We offer
our care and concern and temporal help once, twice, three or four times. But at some point we feel like we are being
taken advantage of if the need is ever present.
And so we “stay our hand” and justify our action (or lack of action) by “balancing
the scale”- and tell ourselves, “I will no longer help this person, they need
to learn to be self-reliant!”
I believe this is NOT how the Lord intends us to apply these commandments.
I believe this is NOT how the Lord intends us to apply these commandments.
The Greatest Commandments
The Lord tells us that the second Greatest Commandment (second
only to loving the Lord) is to love our neighbor. [Mark 12: 30-31] He even emphasizes how to PRIORITIZE the
commandments when he says in verse 31 “There is none other commandment greater
than these.”
30) And thow shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all
thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31) And the second is like,
namely this, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than
these.
Who is my Neighbor?
When the Pharisee asks “Who is our neighbor?” The Lord tells the parable of the Good
Samaritan and the extreme measure he went to, to care for a man lying injured
and weak on the side of the road. He tell us to “go and do likewise”. [Luke 10:29-37]
Love your Enemy
In Matthew 5 we learn that we also need to love our
enemy. Who is our enemy? One of the definitions of an “enemy” that the
Savior gives is those that “despitefully use you”. He admonishes us to remember that by only
loving those who “love us back” we gain no reward.
43) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
44) But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45) That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46) For if ye love them which
love you, what reward have ye?
When Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive our
enemy- the Lord told him “seventy times seven”.
[Matt 18:22]. This is not to be
taken literally as 490 times, but an infinite amount of times.
Do not Judge those whom you Serve
In Mosiah 4:16-19 we receive further instruction from King
Benjamin. King Benjamin understands the
natural man. He states,
17)
Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore
I will stay my hand, and I will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto
him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just-
King Benjamin tells us that THIS is something that we need
to repent of. Once we decide to “stay
our hand” because we feel that he has “earned” his situation, we are judging
the person.
18) But I say unto you, O man,
whosoever doeth this the same has great cause to repent; and except he
repenteth of that which he hath done, he perisheth forever, and hath no
interest in the kingdom of God.
He then reminds us that we ALL depend on God for everything
that we have. He has provided it ALL. It ALL belongs to Him and He has commanded us
to impart of our substance that we have
unto one another.
19) For behold, are we not all
beggars? Do we not all depend on the
same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and
raiment, and for gold and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of
every kind?
20) And behold, even at this
time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your
sins. And has suffered that ye have
begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out
his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hears should be filled with joy,
and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find
utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21) And now, if God, who has
created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have
and are, doth grant unto you unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in
faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of
the substance that ye have one to another.
Verse 21 makes it pretty clear to me that it is offensive to
God for us to ask for blessings for ourselves- whether they be health, healing
or temporal items, if we are not imparting FREELY of all that we have to those
who are in need.
Lastly, King Benjamin teaches us that if we are going to judge
our neighbor and “stay our hand”, how much more will be our condemnation.
22) And if ye judge the man who putteth up
his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how
much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance,
which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and
yet he put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23) I say unto you, wo be unto
that man, for his substance shall perish with him…
What
about Self- Reliance?
Latter
Day Saints have a long heritage of being industrious, hard-working and self-reliant. This is a very good thing, but I believe it’s
value and proper application gets erroneously applied when it comes to caring for the sick, hungry and poor.
In 1936 the First Presidency outlined a
welfare plan for the Church. They said: “Our primary purpose was to set up … a
system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of
a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once
more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the
people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle
of the lives of our Church membership” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 3). [Handbook 2: Administering the Church; Purpose of Church
Welfare]
It is important to note that the above paragraph above is in regards to the purpose of the
Church’s Welfare Plan. The purpose
of the plan IS to help make people more self-reliant in both spiritual and
temporal matters. The Bishop and Stake
President are stewards over the Bishops’ Storehouse and have access to Fast
Offering funds. They are charged with
being a Judge in Israel to dispense of these items as they are guided and
directed by the Spirit. They are also charged with helping others become self reliant.
Furthermore in the Section
of Handbook 2- Purposes of Church Welfare- under the topic of Self Reliance-
Self-reliance is the
ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal
necessities of life for self and family. As members become self-reliant, they
are also better able to serve and care for others.
Church members are
responsible for their own spiritual and temporal well-being. Blessed with the
gift of agency, they have the privilege and duty to set their own course, solve
their own problems, and strive to become self-reliant. Members do this under
the inspiration of the Lord and with the labor of their own hands.
This Section of Handbook 2
goes on-
Members’ Efforts to Care
for the Poor and Needy and Give Service
Through His Church,
the Lord has provided a way to care for the poor and needy. He has asked Church
members to give generously according to what they have received from
Him. He has also asked His people to “visit the poor and the needy and administer
to their relief” (D&C 44:6).
Church members are encouraged to give personal compassionate service to those
in need. They should be “anxiously engaged in a good cause,” serving without being
asked or assigned (see D&C 58:26–27). Members can also help the poor and needy of
all faiths throughout the world by contributing to the Church’s humanitarian
efforts. Providing in the Lord’s way humbles the rich, exalts the poor, and
sanctifies both (see D&C 104:15–18).
President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught: “The real long term
objective of the Welfare Plan is the building of character in the members of
the Church, givers and receivers, rescuing all that is finest down deep inside
of them, and bringing to flower and fruitage the latent richness of the spirit,
which after all is the mission and purpose and reason for being of this Church”
(in special meeting of stake presidents, Oct. 2, 1936).
Self
Reliance is a Charge to US- we are NOT to use it to JUDGE another
