At the beginning of the semester, I was asked to develop a New Testament class plan that would put what I was learning into direct application in my life. I asked myself, “what would make the most positive difference in my life right now”? One of the things I struggle with the most is that I think I can generally be too cynical, judgmental, and selfish in my interactions with other people. So, I decided that I wanted to learn more about the topic of charity as I studied the New Testament this semester. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To learn about charity you must first study it seriously. As I read the assigned passages in the New Testament, I studied them with an emphasis on charity. I would think about every verse I read and try to connect it to charity in some way. Reading the scriptures this way helped me gain knowledge about charity in every chapter I studied. I especially liked the “Becoming Q&A” assignments because it helped me specifically ask myself what I could learn about charity from a particular chapter. I continued this pattern throughout the rest of my scripture study by asking myself inspired questions about how the people in each chapter showed charity (or lack of charity) for one another. For example, reading Joseph's reaction to Mary's inexplicable pregnancy in the first chapters of Matthew made me wonder how he could have had such charity for his fiancée: Joseph would naturally have concluded that Mary had committed adultery, and how else could he have did you get pregnant? How did he not freak out? It would have been a really difficult test for him. After reading some quotes from Elder James E Talmage, I learned that he loved his fiancée so much and his faith was so strong that he immediately believed the angel who came to him explaining the truth. His faith in God led him to have charity towards Mary. As I studied charity throughout the semester, I began to understand it better. Understanding bridges the gap between a belief (and action) and simple knowledge. My study of charity helped me know what charity is and how people express it, but I was missing something that helped me truly believe in it. This stepping stone came through prayer and reflection. The Spirit taught me why it was important for me to obtain charity as I prayed about what I had studied and thought deeply about the specific changes I needed to make in my life. The understanding I gained about charity led me to a conviction. Faith came for me when I took what I had learned and acted on it. Implementing my plans of service and kindness (which I had decided through meditation and prayer) led me to believe that charity is one of the most important principles of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ has charity for each of us and that I can also have charity for my brothers and sisters. This was the most important step in the process for me. When I met Clarence, the missionary researcher, I felt genuine sympathy for his family's problems. I helped them pay for groceries on one occasion when they didn't have the means, and I didn't expect them to repay me for it. Although Clarence had every intention of doing so, he was unable to refund me before he left, and I was surprised to find that I wasn't disappointed at all. A basic knowledge and understanding of charity would mean that I knew intellectually that I should expect nothing in return, but because I believed in.