By Kay Cahoon
Most of us when we think of “abundance” we think “extremely plentiful,” or more than we can use in quantity or supply of something. An example of that would be a bumper crop of wheat or carrots, which means that we had enough for our needs and more. If we had an abundance of carrots we might consider sharing with our neighbors.
But there are similar yet different definitions for “abundance.” Most people do not think of abundance and Jesus Christ in the same way. When we truly accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and allow Him to fill our hearts, we will experience an “abundance of the heart.” Jesus Christ came to this earth to teach us how to give, how to live, and how to love. He walked amongst us, blessed the poor and afflicted, preached the Word of God, and set the example for each of us. And he did it all with the pure unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. As we study the life of the Savior we understand more of how we need to live in this life.
When we search, ponder and pray about the Savior in our lives we feel an overwhelming love for others, we feel that we want to reach out to those who are in need or are suffering. We see through different eyes just as the Savior sees us. Jesus Christ loves each of us, unconditionally, no matter what our sins are, He sees our hearts, and He knows us individually. Our hearts can be filled with joy, peace, and love and giving as we draw closer to Him. We will feel an abundance of positivity towards others. Then as we allow ourselves to go with that feeling, we will reach out to help the homeless, the sick and afflicted, the downtrodden, the stranger that needs a kind word, the child that needs a hug, the elderly that has no one to visit them.
There are thousands of opportunities in our society; we never have to look far to find someone that we can reach out to. Recently in a Sunday school class it was pointed out that everyone needs and would accept unconditional love and kindness. If everyone accepted the Savior into their hearts can you imagine the difference in the world?
I have had the opportunity to help at a soup kitchen; it was an eye opening experience. There were men, women and even children, all down on their luck, but they were so appreciative of everything that we shared with them. All of them taught me so much about giving, sharing and the true meaning of unconditional love. And it starts with me and you, and Jesus Christ, our Savior. Each of us can have an abundance of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Kay Cahoon, member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), wife, mother of six, grandma of many, traveler and genealogist.
