A year ago this month I was released from serving in the Relief Society presidency in our Mesa ward. Each member of the presidency shared a favorite quote in the newsletter. This is what I wrote:
I've pondered a lot about service over the last several weeks, and I've learned two important lessons:
- When we love and serve one another, we "offer a similar imitation of [the Savior's] own sacrifice by making sacrifices of our own time and selfish priorities." --Elder Oaks
- "It is serving God and others persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of truth into unbreakable spiritual strength." --President Eyring
I know that as we continue to serve each other and our families, we will be following the Savior's example and building a solid foundation of faith that will support us through all the trials of life.
Last week I was thinking about the President Eyring quote again. Here in our Ohio ward, Scott is serving as Young Men president. Over the next two months he will be spending 13 days away from home, between youth conference and Scout camps. It's kind of a sacrifice--at least for me, because I end up home alone with three kids under the age of four during those two weeks.
Church service can be pretty demanding at times; it is seldom without sacrifice. So why do we do it? For one thing, as President Eyring points out, over time it transforms testimony into "unbreakable spiritual strength." Here are a few other real-life examples of the blessings of Church service:
Church service can be pretty demanding at times; it is seldom without sacrifice. So why do we do it? For one thing, as President Eyring points out, over time it transforms testimony into "unbreakable spiritual strength." Here are a few other real-life examples of the blessings of Church service:
Many years ago, while sitting in stake conference in Cleveland, Ohio, Daryl H. Garn had the impression that he would be called to serve in his ward bishopric.
Such a calling wasn't good timing, and it certainly wasn't his ambition. Still, as he and his wife walked out of the morning session that Sunday, he was greeted by the man who had just been sustained as the new bishop. He asked if the Garns would meet with then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve, the visiting authority.
"We didn't even sit down," Elder Garn recalled. "We spoke casually for several minutes," before Elder Kimball asked if he would serve as second counselor.
"There is something you need to know," Elder Garn said in response. "We may be here only a short time." Elder Garn then detailed a long list of reasons explaining why he shouldn't serve, including his apprehension that as a first-year dental student he would likely flunk out in the first quarter.
"I believed in my heart that I would be sent home in disgrace after the first quarter of school," Elder Garn said in retrospect. "I knew I had been accepted into Western Reserve University because of the recommendations of a former student and not on my own merits and accomplishments.
"Elder Kimball listened patiently, then looked me in the eye and said, 'Brother Garn, put the Lord first in your life, and things will work out.' So I mustered all the faith I could and accepted the call," he said.
Serving was not convenient. Studies were demanding and two of their eventual six children were born during these years. During this time, with only half his graduate work completed, the bishop moved from the ward and Elder Garn was called as bishop.
He remained steady in his service and, by the time he graduated, he was among the top several students in his class, which made him eligible to enter a master's program in orthodontics.
"I thought back to President Kimball's promise. I realized I probably would have flunked out of school if I hadn't accepted that calling," he said.
President Eyring
Years ago I was admitted to a graduate program for which I was poorly prepared. The course was arduous. The competition was fierce. On the first day the professor said, “Look at the person on your left and on your right. One of the three of you will not be here at the end. One of the three of you will likely fail.” The schedule of classes filled the five weekdays from early until late. Preparations for the next day’s classes lasted until nearly midnight, often beyond. And then late on Friday a major paper was assigned, with no way to prepare until the assignment was given and with the paper due at nine o’clock on Saturday night.
I can still remember the hours of frantic study and writing on those Saturdays. And as the nine o’clock deadline approached, crowds of students would stand around the slot in the wall of the library to cheer as the last desperate student would dash up to throw in his completed paper, just before the box inside the building was pulled away from beneath the slot to let the late papers fall into the oblivion of failure. Then the students would go back to their homes and to their rooms for a few hours of celebration before starting preparations for Monday classes. And most of them would study all day on Sunday and late into the night.
For me, there was no party on Saturday and no studying on Sundays . . . Early in that year He called me, through a humble district president, to a Church service that took me across the hills of New England from the early hours of Sunday to late in the evening. I visited the tiny branches and the scattered Latter-day Saints from Newport and Cape Cod on the south to Worcester and Fort Devens on the west and Lynn and Georgetown on the north. I realize that those names mean more to me than they do to you. For me the words bring back the joy of going to those places, loving the Lord, and trusting that somehow He would keep His promise. He always did. In the few minutes I could give to preparation on Monday morning before classes, ideas and understanding came to more than match what others gained from a Sunday of study.
I’ve seen that same miracle when there seemed not to be enough time for my family when they needed me. I had four young sons and a challenging new job, and then came a call from our bishop to be the assistant Scoutmaster and the deacons quorum instructor. The Scouts camped out often, taking me from my boys, who were either older or younger than Scout ages. But I gave my heart to teaching and serving, trusting the Lord’s promise. I began to take one of my sons and then another with me on our outings. What seemed a call away from my obligations to my sons, with the Lord’s help, formed a bond with them that will last for eternity. I gave my heart to the Lord’s service in that deacons quorum; He gave me the hearts of my sons.
I cannot promise academic success or perfect families. Nor can I tell you the way in which He will honor His promise of adding blessings upon you. But I can promise you that if you will go to Him in prayer and ask what He would have you do next, promising that you will put His kingdom first, He will answer your prayer and He will keep His promise to add upon your head blessings, enough and to spare.
The other day Scott and I were talking about this topic, and I commented that our Church service is a blessing to our children. The example we set for them imparts testimony in a way that our words alone can't. I even speculated that perhaps part of the reason my siblings and I turned out so well is because of our parents dedicated service over three decades. (That's not to say that every dedicated parent will be so fortunate; just because parents give dedicated service doesn't mean they will have "perfect families," as indicated by President Eyring.)
At any rate, I am grateful for the blessings that come from serving in the Church, even if it's a sacrifice at times. Blessings of spiritual strength, family unity, and even worldly success can come to us as we "seek first the Kingdom of God."
At any rate, I am grateful for the blessings that come from serving in the Church, even if it's a sacrifice at times. Blessings of spiritual strength, family unity, and even worldly success can come to us as we "seek first the Kingdom of God."
Elder Oaks, "Why Do We Serve?," http://www.lds.org/ensign/
First of all...I feel like this should be an Ensign article.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, it made me think of the story of the widow of Zeraphath and the principle therein. The widow was asked of a servant of God to give the last of her temporal means. She only had a little meal and oil and then assumed she and her son would die (not quite failing out of school after the first semester, but not too far different). But, she wasn't asked to give just because Elijah needed to eat. More than anything else, she was asked to sacrifice and give of what she had because in the giving and sacrifice, and through the exercise of faith, she would open the windows of heaven to receive blessings that ultimately blessed and sustained her and her family in a way that could not have come any other way. I think that as we sacrifice our time and means to serve, we exercise faith and make it possible for the Lord to pour down blessings that we can not have access to in any other way. The invitation to serve is an invitation to become and to receive.
Yep. Loving this! I was pretty little when Grandpa and Grandma went to Spain but I remember that Christmas they sent us a photo of the gift they would have given us (a stuffed animal cow) and on the back of the photo she wrote that they gave it to the needy Spanish children. I was disgruntled.
ReplyDeleteLater on my own mission around Christmas time I recalled that memory and I realized that that is what missionaries, especially senior missionaries, do. They sacrifice. Like the children in Spain who needed that toy more than me, the people and missionaries of Spain needed my grandparents more than me. Elder Cook came to my mission and said that in the apostolic blessing he gave us that our loved ones would be blessed in ways they would not recognize because of our service.
You said that your parents service is one factor as to why you and your siblings turned out well. Your parents service is also one of the reasons my siblings and I turned out well. I know Jake, Jess, Dallen and I have all seen and felt the good examples of both your parents in our lives. That goes for our many of the bishops, YW leaders and Sunday School teachers of our youth. Because of their sacrifice, and that of their families, these Ellsworth kids were kept in the fold.
This made me think of one of my favorite Bible Video put out by the church on the Widow's Mites.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-teaches-about-the-widows-mites?lang=eng
I'm not quite sure why it is my favorite, but it made me feel the Spirit more than the rest. I think it was something I needed to hear that day. I was just impressed of the widow's quiet and humble sacrifice that was only noted by the Savior. She donated everything she had and yet received no recognition or glory, except from where it mattered most. That is often the same with us. I think that our church service or service to our family can be seen as very little at times. But as long as we are giving everything, like our time and talents, then Heavenly Father will notice and we will receive both spiritual and temporal blessings.
Here's another story relevant to this topic that came to mind:
ReplyDeleteA wonderful sister recently said to a dear friend: “I want to tell you about the moment I ceased resenting my husband’s time and sacrifice as a bishop. It had seemed uncanny how an ‘emergency’ would arise with a ward member just when he and I were about to go out to do something special together.
“One day I poured out my frustration, and my husband agreed we should guarantee, in addition to Monday nights, one additional night a week just for us. Well, the first ‘date night’ came, and we were about to get into the car for an evening together when the telephone rang. . . .
“He squeezed my hand and said, ‘Be right back,’ and he dashed in to pick up the telephone.
“Well, when my husband didn’t return to the car immediately, I knew what was happening. I got out of the car, went into the house, and went to bed. The next morning he spoke a quiet apology, I spoke an even quieter acceptance, and that was the end of it.
“Or so I thought. I found the event still bothering me several weeks later. I wasn’t blaming my husband, but I was disappointed nevertheless. The memory was still fresh when I came upon a woman in the ward I scarcely knew. Very hesitantly, she asked for the opportunity to talk. She then told of becoming infatuated with another man, who seemed to bring excitement into her life of drudgery, she with a husband who worked full-time and carried a full load of classes at the university. Their apartment was confining. She had small children who were often demanding, noisy, and exhausting. She said: ‘I was sorely tempted to leave what I saw as my wretched state and just go with this man. My situation was such that I felt I deserved better than what I had. My rationalization persuaded me to think I could walk away from my husband, my children, my temple covenants, and my Church and find happiness with a stranger.’
“She said: ‘The plan was set; the time for my escape was agreed upon. Yet, as if in a last gasp of sanity, my conscience told me to call your husband, my bishop. I say “conscience,” but I know that was a spiritual prompting directly from heaven. Almost against my will, I called. The telephone rang and rang and rang. Such was the state of my mind that I actually thought, “If the bishop doesn’t answer, that will be a sign I should go through with my plan.” The phone kept ringing, and I was about to hang up and walk straight into destruction when suddenly I heard your husband’s voice. It penetrated my soul like lightning. Suddenly I heard myself sobbing, saying, “Bishop, is that you? I am in trouble. I need help.” Your husband came with help, and I am safe today because he answered that telephone.
“‘I look back and realize I was tired and foolish and vulnerable. I love my husband and my children with all my heart. I can’t imagine the tragedy my life would be without them. These are still demanding times for our family. I know everyone has them. But we have addressed some of these issues, and things are looking brighter. They always do eventually.’ Then she said: ‘I don’t know you well, but I wish to thank you for supporting your husband in his calling. I don’t know what the cost for such service has been to you or to your children, but if on a difficult day there is a particularly personal cost, please know how eternally grateful I will be for the sacrifice people like you make to help rescue people like me.’”
From "Called to Serve": https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/10/called-to-serve?lang=eng