I don't want to write about these things to boast of the good deeds I've done. I want to write these things so I remember how good it felt to serve others; to stop thinking about me for a day and to do something. There was a quote from this last LDS conference by Jose L. Alonso that says, "what many of us need to do is leave our mobile devices behind and, with our hands and feet, help others in great need. Love without service is like faith without works; it’s dead indeed."
Another quote from the Christmas Devotional given by Sister Cristina Franco says, "The Christmas season, let us all give the best gifts; let us sacrifice our grateful hearts, with grateful hearts our best toys; not the ones we’ve worn out. And let us give the gift of love, the gift of service to those around us..."
Another quote from a talk from this last General Conference by Elder Stanley G. Ellis says, "Sacrifice, by definition, involves giving up something desirable. With experience we realize it is a small price to pay in relation to the blessings that follow. Under the direction of Joseph Smith, it was said that 'a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.'"
From these quotes we learn much about service. Mosiah 2:17 from the Book of Mormon says, "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
In the New Testament in Matthew 25:40 it says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
And lastly, in Moroni 7: 46-48 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."
What I learned from these quotes is that service, when done in the right way, can help us to develop that pure love of Christ. I've also learned that service should be a little hard. We may have a giving heart that leaps at being called on, but it doesn't always mean that giving is easy. Others, like me, may find it hard to serve at all. There are always excuses to be made and a little digging in of my heels, but I will say that when I serve with a loving intent, that I feel good. It may hurt a little to go against my nature, and sometimes it may hurt a lot to give up something of mine that I felt was solely meant for me, (like my time), but I am better off for it.
I don't want to allude to the thought that I only serve because I get warm fuzzies out of it. In fact, it is the opposite. I'm happy to get nothing at all in return; if I've done my service with real love in my heart, then I'm happy because I've gotten to make someone else happy.
And sometimes I don't always feel happy. Sometimes I turn around, and the trial in my own life is still waiting for me. Sometimes I feel that maybe I gave too much, or not enough. Sometimes I wonder if that person really appreciated what I did, but that's going away from the point. For that moment, I felt a smidgen of what pure love feels like. For a brief instant, I forgot about myself, my worries, my burdens. For a solid second, I didn't over-analyze the situation or try to guess what another person was thinking. I just did. I moved my feet and walked, I stretched out my hands and helped.
From these quotes I've learned that service is an action and it must be fueled by love, and if it is done with love, then we become helpers in spreading the joy that Christ professes to give to the whole earth.
In Mosiah 18: 8-11 it says "...as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts."
As I read this story, about the people of Alma desiring to be baptized as members of Christ's church, they are promising to serve their brethren and love them. I can think of no better way of expressing their joy at being able to serve and to be counted as members of the fold of God than that last line, "they clapped their hands for joy." I love it that this story didn't start out with, if you want eternal life then you should comfort those and mourn with them and do this and do that....No, the people of Alma were already doing these things. They already were desirous to become part of the fold of God. They already were bearing one another's burdens and mourning with those that mourn. They only needed that one step of baptism to truly become members of Christ church in word, but in deed, they already were members of Christ's church. They were already worthy to become members because they possessed this pure love of Christ that Moroni speaks so fervently of. Of course, they wanted the blessings of eternal life, which is why they were baptized, but their worthiness was proved by their actions. After they were baptized, they were promised that Christ would "pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you," not so that they could receive more blessings, although that is a natural consequence, but so that they could more effectively serve the sons and daughters of God walking upon this Earth, and thereby serve their Lord and Master.
So often, I think I've got this service thing backwards. I think, what's in it for me? What am I giving up? Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson said, quoting loosely, "Instead of going to church and asking 'what am I getting out of this today, ask WHO NEEDS ME TODAY?'” Look around or right in front of you and not on your screen and find someone to serve."
I should be more like the people of Alma and just do it. If I am truly a daughter of God and desire that He knows it, then I should show him by serving.
The flip-side of the coin, is that sometimes we are the ones being served. Right now, I've been in a position where I feel I am constantly asking for help. I feel like I am bbeing a burden by asking so often. My neighbor explained to me tonight, that she enjoys helping us, and for her it's not a burden, even if I perceive it as one. As to feeling like I've been asking for a lot of help, she reminded me that I've given a lot of help. I've paid up and it's time to collect some help for myself. I can reinvest myself into someone else when I've got the "money" to share.
I don't know, maybe my thoughts are all over the place because It's past midnight and I'm up attempting to share these thoughts in a meaningful way. I guess my point in writing all this, is that even though I may not always have the most willing heart, that I am still learning to have that kind of heart. President Uchtdorf said in the Christmas devotional, "We may not be able to develop a fullness of divine love in this life, but we should never stop trying." I'm not going to stop trying.
Each time I serve, whether my heart is happy or slow to react, I get a little better at it. I catch glimpses of what it means to love as Christ loves. I feel joy and rejoice with my fellow men. I desire to do good. Psalms 37: 3-5 says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." If we do good, we will be blessed. Furthermore, if we delight in service to the Lord, we will receive the desires of our heart. I hope I can become more like Him, and I hope I can help those around me, as I have been served by so many close to me. I truly want a heart that delights in service at every opportunity, even if it is a hard thing asked of me. I am so filled with gratitude today for those who have helped me, for the opportunities I've had to serve, and for my Savior, who fills my heart with joy and gladness.
