Every
year tens of thousands of young Latter-day of Saints submit their papers for
full-time missionary service. Young men and women voluntarily put work and
education on hold and make themselves available to serve wherever they are
assigned at their own expense. Communication with family is even limited to
letters or email and very occasional phone calls so that they can focus
wholeheartedly on serving the Lord and the people where they serve. During
their two years of full time service they devote themselves to studying,
meeting people, and teaching about Jesus Christ and His restored Church. Their
work is a labor of love, and most missionaries end up feeling they gained more
than they gave by serving.
I
have been called to serve in the Kyiv Ukraine mission. That is where I will
spend the next two years of my life. I will learn the native language of
Ukrainian so that I can teach and serve the people in their own language. As a
missionary one of my main focuses will be, as it says in Doctrine and Covenants
81 to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the
feeble knees;”1 Or in other words, giving service.
I
would like to share a story that Elder Uchtdorf once shared in conference. “During
the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was
severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they
mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s
presence in their lives. Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but
its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some
suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to
leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the
statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the
base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: ‘You are my
hands.’”2
When
Jesus Christ was on the earth He explained that He didn’t come to earth to be
served but to serve and to give His life for us.3 Jesus Christ loves
each of us more than we can understand. Throughout His earthly life He served
the poor, the ignorant, the sinner, and the despised. He taught the gospel to
all who would listen, fed crowds of hungry people who came to hear Him, healed
the sick, and raised the dead.
As
the hands of Jesus Christ upon the earth we are surrounded by those in need of
our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, and our kindness. Whether
they are family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers we can reach out
to give service. As His hands we can lift up His children.
On
one occasion a curious lawyer posed this question to the Savior, “Master, which
is the great commandment in the law?”4 The Savior responded, “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”5
Along
with the question asked by the lawyer I would pose the question, who is our
neighbor? Our neighbor does not mean merely one of the members of the church or
faith to which we belong. It has no reference to race, color, or class. Our
neighbor is every person who needs our help. Our neighbor is every soul who is
wounded and bruised by the adversary of life. Our neighbor is every child of
God. The way we show our neighbors we love them is by serving them. Every act
of service counts, whether it’s something small like a smile to lift someone’s
spirits, or something big like spending hours collecting food so that families
won’t have to go hungry.
The
next time you help someone, picture them as the Savior. King Benjamin taught
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of
your God.”6 As we show those around us that we love them by
rendering our service to them, we are also showing God and the Savior that we
love them. King Benjamin’s teaching is echoed in the 25th chapter of
Matthew.
“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: 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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye
visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then
shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and
fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and
took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unto thee? 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.”7
As you make someone feel welcome by showing
interest in them, help someone move from one home to another, or even help
someone rebuild their home that has been damaged from a storm you are serving
Christ.
Some resistance to giving service
may creep in with the thought “How can I ever make a difference?” To those of
you who feel that way let me share a story with you written by Jack Canfield.
“A
friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he
walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer,
he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and
throwing it out into the water. Time and again, he kept hurling things out into
the ocean. As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was
picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he
was throwing them back into the water. Our friend was puzzled. He approached
the man and said “Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing.”
“I'm
throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now
and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw
them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen.”
“I
understand,” my friend replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on
this beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many.
And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up
and down this coast? Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?”
The
local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he
threw it back into the sea, he replied, “Made a difference to that one!”
Though there are billions of people
living on this earth and the task may seem overwhelming at times, our Christ
like service can and does make a difference.
As I have given
service I have been blessed. One of my fondest memories of serving comes from
the winter time. Snow falls would bring blocked driveways, and I would usually
be the one tasked with shoveling ours. On several occasions before I shoveled
my driveway I would shovel the driveway of one of my older neighbors. It made
me feel happy inside, to know that I could be of help. The Savior taught his
disciples, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will
lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”9 President
Monson said “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves
in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live
only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives,
while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in
effect save their lives.”10
I am sure that
we all have the intention as a member of the Church to serve and to help those
in need. We need to remember our baptismal covenant to “bear one another’s
burdens, that they may be light.” I know that my heart is touched each time I
am given the opportunity to serve others and when I witness others serving
those in need. How often have you intended to be the one to help? I know that I
have missed a few opportunities as my day-to-day life seems to interfere and I
have justified this by feeling by thinking others will step up and take care of
that need.
We become so
caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take
a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in
the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time
taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand
scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.
That service to
which all of us have been called is the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. As He
enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him. He speaks to you
and to me:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”11
If we truly
listen, we may hear His voice say to us, as it spoke to another, “Well done,
thou good and faithful servant.”12 This is my goal as I leave to
serve the Lord as a missionary in the Ukraine. It is also my prayer that all of
us may qualify for the blessing that have been promised from the Lord as we
served those in need.
As I close my talk let the words of a
familiar hymn ring in our minds:
“Have
I done any good in the world today?
Have
I helped anyone in need?
Have
I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If
not, I have failed indeed.
Has
anyone’s burden been lighter today,
Because
I was willing to share?
Have
the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When
they needed my help was I there?”13
I offer this in
His name, even Jesus Christ, our Savior, amen.
References:
1.
D&C 81:5
2.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Are My Hands”, April 2010 General Conference
3.
Matthew 20:28
4.
Matthew 22:36
5.
Matthew 22:37-39
6.
Mosiah 2:17
7.
Matthew 25:34-40
8.
Jack Canfield, “Chicken Soup for the Soul”
9.
Luke 9:24
10.
Thomas S. Monson, "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" Ensign, Nov.
2009
11.
Matthew 11:28-30
12.
Matthew 25:21
13.
“Have I Done Any Good?” Hymns, no. 223.
