There is a special spirit (here). We call it the spirit of aloha. We who understand know that the spirit of aloha is the Holy Spirit. It is most comfortable in places where it is invited by the righteousness of the people who are there. True aloha...is a warm welcome greeting. It is the hope to make someone else happy. It is the commitment of everlasting love. It is a wish for someone's welfare and safety. It is compassion for those less fortunate. It is charity for those in need. It is a sincere desire to help, [and doing so] with no expectation of repayment. It is including those who might be left out. It is loving our neighbor more than ourselves. It is the spirit of good that comes from heaven and permeates all human hearts. It is farewell with a prayer for a sweet reunion. It is the light within that says, "You are my brother. You are my sister. I honor and respect you for who you are, a child of God. Welcome to my life, my world. Aloha"
R Lanier Britsch, Devotional Talk BYUH, 08/25/2003
https://devotional.byuh.edu/node/266
(click on the link to read his talk in its entirety)
Ralph Lanier Britsch was a history professor at Brigham Young University who specialized in the history of LDS missionary work particularly in the Pacific Islands and Asia.
He served as a missionary in Hawaii two times, first as a youth, and later as a senior missionary assigned to help document the history of the Polynesian Cultural Center (wikipedia).
No comments:
Post a Comment