In October 2007, Elder Steven Snow gave a talk in conference about service. He talked about his mother who had died some years before at the age of 60 from cancer. Shortly before she died, knowing that some of her dreams had not been realized, he asked his mother what regrets she had. She told him, “I wish I had served more.” This shocked him since, from what he had seen, she had done quite a lot of service both in church callings and to friends and neighbors. So he reminded her of this and she simply said, “I could have done more.”
Jesus Christ taught very clearly that we should serve one another. One time I read the Gospels looking for characteristics of Christ and one thing I noticed was that any time someone asked Christ to heal them or help them in some way, He did it. His whole purpose in coming to earth was to serve us and he was completely unselfish in all things. His Atonement was the ultimate act of service and we are all the beneficiaries. When he told the Nephites about how the Father had sent him to be lifted up upon the cross, he described it as making it possible for all men to be drawn unto him. He didn’t describe it as a horrible thing he had to go through for us but described it in terms of what it had done for all of us. He taught that we should lose ourselves in the service of others in order to find eternal life.
Matthew 25:34-40 is a parable about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who is the King. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Why is Christ speaking to those standing on his right hand? The right hand is the covenant hand which is especially clear in the temple. The people on Christ’s right hand are those who have kept their covenants. And how have they kept those covenants? Christ tells them that they gave him food and drink, clothed him, gave him shelter, and visited him when he was sick and in prison. The righteous are confused and say, When did we do all those things? Christ tells them, when you helped any of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me. In other words, those who serve and bless others in need, are serving Christ and will be blessed eternally.
This passage specifically ties together the two greatest commandments which are first, to love God and second, to love our fellow man by serving them. Our church is unique in the many ways we are asked to serve, for example, serving missions, in the temple, in callings, in ward choir, activities, welfare projects, cleaning the building, which is in addition to raising families and everything else we need to do.. Why are we asked to serve so much? Elder Christofferson said, “God’s purpose is that we, His children, may be able to experience ultimate joy, to be with Him eternally, and to become even as He is.” I submit that service is one of the primary ways we experience joy in this life and become more like God. Today I would like to talk about the reasons why we serve and how we can better serve those around us.
What are the reasons why we serve? When Pres. Oaks was first called as an apostle in 1984, he gave a talk listing 6 reasons why we serve in the gospel, listing them from lesser to greater.
At the bottom of the list was serving for earthly gain, for riches or honor which Pres. Oaks called selfish and self-centered reasons. Jesus called out the scribes and Pharisees of his day for giving their alms or their service to be seen of men and told them that they already had their reward. At the top of Pres. Oaks’ list was serving because we are filled with charity and the pure love of Jesus Christ. This is a high standard, he said, but one we should aspire to. When we find it difficult to serve, perhaps praying for the gift of charity and remembering Christ’s example can help us serve with a more joyful heart. I remember hearing Keith Louw talk about shoveling a neighbor’s driveway once and not particularly enjoying it but when he changed his attitude to doing it for Jesus Christ, he had a much better feeling about it. Pres. Nelson said, “When we love God with all our hearts, He turns our hearts to the well-being of others in a beautiful, virtuous cycle.”
How can we better serve? One way to serve is simply to show up. Just showing up at a meeting or activity gives us a chance to serve. Pres. Oaks spoke once about a friend of his who says that he changed his attitude about church when he decided he would no longer go for himself but to go for others. This friend makes a point of saying hello to people who are sitting alone, to welcome visitors, to volunteer for assignments. His goal is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. My husband and I once visited a ward in a small town in South Carolina where we knew absolutely no one but were welcomed and greeted warmly by at least 20 members. I left feeling so uplifted by that experience. I hope that our ward can be like that one where we warmly greet all who join us each Sunday. Pres. Hinckley said every new convert needs a friend and I think that applies to every member, new or old.
Our ministering assignments give us more opportunities to serve. I think the key to ministering is to get to know our families and to check in frequently. Sometimes people just want someone to talk to. What if we don’t feel like we are making any difference in someone’s life? If we are serving because we love Jesus Christ and are following his example, then we offer our 5 loaves and 2 fishes and we don’t worry about the outcome. About 30 years ago, when we lived in Wisconsin, my husband was assigned as a hometeacher and I was the visiting teacher for a family that had some significant struggles. One night Scott had an appointment with them which they had actually forgotten about when he showed up. He happened to be there when the police showed up to arrest the husband for something that had happened earlier in the day. We could not solve all their problems but Scott and I continued to try and minister to them until they moved away. I wish I could tell you that their marriage was saved and their family became more active in the church. That is not what happened but I believe God saw our offering and I hope we helped them get through a difficult time. Another way we can serve is by simply allowing others to minister to us, especially our assigned ministering brothers and sisters.
Another principle of service is to serve people where you are. Sister Burton, a general Relief Society president, once told a story about a woman in England who worked with others in her stake to gather quilts. Then she and her daughter drove a truck filled with those quilts from London to Kosovo. On her journey home, she received an unmistakable spiritual impression that said, “What you have done is a very good thing. Now go home, walk across the street, and serve your neighbor!”
Another principle of service is that you are probably doing more than you realize and the Lord will help you to know when you need to do more. We should not try to run faster than we have strength. I had an experience some years ago when most of our children were still living at home. I was very busy taking care of all of them and especially busy with baby Camille who had a lot of medical challenges and needed extra care. It was around Christmas time and I wanted to do some kind of service that seemed “more significant” than just serving my family. Maybe I had read about someone who had done something really admirable and I wanted to do something like that too. I don’t remember exactly. But I do remember that one morning we were reading in the book of Matthew together as a family and we read that same scripture passage in Matthew I quoted earlier. I could have been filled with guilt as we read it because I wasn’t teaching people in prison or serving in a soup kitchen or something similar. But instead, the Spirit prompted me that I WAS doing what the scripture counseled as I served my children. When I fed and dressed my baby, I WAS feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and taking care of the sick. Maybe the rest of you aren’t as slow as I was in recognizing that, but I needed that prompting to see that I was serving and doing important work as I raised my children.
At other times, I have needed to expand my reach beyond our family. When Sister Suzanne Taylor spoke in a fifth Sunday lesson about serving as a BYU Pathway missionary, I felt like that was something I could do. It was something I could do from home for just a few hours a week. Eventually I decided to apply and I have been able to serve for the last 18 months. It’s not always easy to make time for it but I am grateful for the chance to help my students in Nigeria improve their lives through education, as well as getting to know them and my companion who lives in Florida and has become my friend. It has brought me joy. As we seek guidance from Heavenly Father and actively look for ways to serve, He will help guide us to know what we should do. Another time, we were sitting in a Sacrament meeting and Brother VanderWerff was talking about his family’s service at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. As I listened, I felt like that was something our family should do even though camping for two weeks was really not very appealing. So we applied that fall and had the opportunity to go the next summer. I won’t deny that it was sometimes difficult, but it was a positive experience for our family and I’m glad I followed that prompting.
Being followers of Christ and giving service the way He did is not easy but our goal is to become more like Him. As Brother Wilcox said in conference, it would be easy for Heavenly Father to simply give us all that He has. His desire is to help us become all that He is. Sometimes we are given callings that seem really difficult and hard. My daughter-in-law’s parents were recently asked to serve another mission in South Africa after coming home less than a year ago from serving three years in Ghana and before that, 18 months in Sierra Leone. I feel confident that they would rather stay home with their children and grandchildren but they love the Lord and have covenanted to consecrate their time so they’ve accepted this call. Most of the service we give is behind the scenes and does not get much recognition or gratitude and requires long hours of effort. To name a few examples, there is a man who sets up all the equipment every Sunday to broadcast our meetings. I also admire the women who serve on the stake girls’ camp food committee. They are all following Christ in their service. Jesus taught us that the way to true happiness and eternal life is to forget ourselves and our own desires, and to focus on helping others out of love for Him. May we each follow Him and show our love for Him by serving one another.
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