2002-01-13. The Charitable Heart
Nashville #138
Topic: The Charitable Heart
Group: Nashville TeaM
Teacher: Ham
TR: Rebecca
Opening
Ham: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am happy that you have come here this evening. Tonight, let us speak concerning having a charitable heart.
Lesson
Charity has come to have a narrow definition, but charity in its broader sense, having a charitable attitude, is certainly among the fruits of the spirit. Being charitable means giving one’s attention, one’s respect, and a bit of one’s loyalty to some one. When you withhold these things from another, you become judgmental and harsh and unconsciously you are holding that person to a standard which you yourself cannot attain. These artificial standards, these requirements of others, are like a jail to one’s self. Whenever we are uncharitable toward someone, we put bars around our own souls.
Having a charitable heart means giving what you would term perhaps the benefit of the doubt to another. You are giving that person something quite precious in giving them your solicitude, your attention, your open heart. Yes, you will be disappointed, but is that so terrible? And, for those who are steadied by the sovereign beings who never disappoint, it matters very little to be disappointed by weak and fallible persons.
When your heart is constantly being fed with spiritual energy, it is not wanting for other humans to gratify it. When one’s heart is connected to the spiritual source of all the universe, the people surrounding one may be subject to their human foibles and problems just as you yourself are. But this does not change your charitable heart.
Human beings are very fragile. The only thing which can give true strength is that love, that spiritual strength coming directly from spirit persons. The people surrounding you are every bit as weak and as subject to human error as you yourself are. When you fully realize this and do not expect super men to come into your lives and change them, when you rely on the spirit instead, then it begins to get easier to be charitable with others and not to become so disappointed when they fail your expectations.
In recent years, it has become fashionable to find the flaws in supposed heroes and without a spiritual perspective one can become quite cynical about one’s fellows. But, when you yourselves are seeking forgiveness, seeking to grow, to learn, to change, then the mistakes of others become more understandable.
Human beings will always be just that, human beings. All human beings are in need of a tremendous amount of forgiveness. And, when you are charitable, you are siding with the greater personalities of the universe, you are opening yourself to forgiveness even as you forgive.
It is helpful as you go through life always to avoid the seat of the judge. Take instead the seat of one requiring forgiveness and so withholding no forgiveness. The way of the self-righteous is the most difficult of all for he who would raise himself up will be brought low. This is an inevitable process, one which you have all already experienced, certainly.
Closing
Many times I have told you, be charitable with yourselves, withhold not your own forgiveness and neither withhold it from others. Many times the Master said, blessed are the tender hearted and you can only be tenderhearted when you have sought forgiveness and received it and when you have forgiven others as well.
Seek therefore the humble places. Be charitable and put yourselves never above another but always be charitable in spirit.
