A simple statement found in Acts 10:38 says that Jesus of Nazareth “went about doing good.” I love that! As Exemplar, Jesus Christ not only shows us the path to eternal life, but how to conduct ourselves throughout each day of the journey. It really comes down to doing good.
Isn’t this what it means to be Christ-like, a Christian, a Latter-day Saint, a disciple of the Savior? It’s spelled out right there in the thirteenth Article of Faith that we believe in “doing good to all men.”
I’m surrounded by students, employees, alumni, and friends at Brigham Young University–Idaho who recognize and take innumerable opportunities around them to do good. What’s inspiring is to see college students — most of whom are certainly not considered wealthy — sacrificing and giving.
Every year, for example, hundreds of students donate to the Student Legacy Endowment. It’s an endowment established by students to help other students who find themselves in dire need. The giving and receiving of financial assistance through SLE even feels sacred at times. It is a miraculous process.
Through any number of unexpected circumstances, some students suddenly are not able to afford things like books or tuition, rent or even food. I know of a student who hadn’t eaten in days. A couple of others didn’t have winter coats ... in Rexburg! One young man somehow had gotten away with living in his car for a time. And too often they won’t ask for or don’t know that help is available.
Sometimes an anonymous call to the Financial Aid Office initiates the process. Then, the student will get a call to come in and visit with Brother Kelley so he can assess the situation. More often than not, humble and grateful tears flow as heavy hands and eyes are lifted and prayers are answered.
One of the things I love about this student-funded program is that those who are helped are invited to return what they have been given — and more if they can afford it — once they get back on their feet. I know of past recipients who still give large donations years after they graduated. It reminds me of the pioneers who planted crops for others to harvest along the way.
Goodness becomes inherent the more we emulate the Savior’s love. I see it in the students at BYU–Idaho, and I see it in those who surround and support them in a thousand ways. Through a great change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2 and Alma 19:33), our good actions are no longer conscious determinations between doing or not doing a good thing. Doing good continually comes naturally from who we are.