I had the pleasure of speaking in sacrament meeting at church today and was given the topic of how service has blessed my life.
Since today is Mother’s Day, I decided to start by talking about my amazing,
incredible mother. Many of those in the congregation had the pleasure of
knowing her, and I hope that after reading this, those of you who didn’t know
her may be touched by her sweet spirit of selfless service.
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| My Mom and me |
My mother set one of the greatest examples of service for
me. Aside from her love for the holidays, her example of selfless service is my
most vivid memory of her. She was so caring and loving to all around her, and
always there with a kind word and a hug for those who needed a friend. I
remember her often making meals for families in the ward and for the
missionaries. She was almost intuitive with her ability to discern when others
were in need, and she was spiritually in tune enough to recognize how she could
best help meet those needs.
Her favorite calling, and I even this remember to this day,
was as Ward Compassionate Service leader. I remember that she was somewhat
intimidated by the responsibility at first. She was worried she would forget
someone in need. But, my mother fulfilled this calling beautifully, exactly as
the Lord desired of her. I know so many people have had their lives blessed by
my mother’s sincere acts of service.
After my mother passed away, her funeral service, both here
in Texas and at her burial in Payson Utah, were filled with so many people in
attendance—so many that the chapel was filled to capacity. Their lives had been
touched by my mother’s genuine love and concern for them. She never even knew
the impact she had. She never even knew she made a difference. She didn’t
realize how often she served as an instrument in the hands of our Lord to help
His children feel His love. She helped to bless their lives with her service.
With all the people she served, the lives she blessed the
most were within her own family. My brothers and I were raised in a loving home
built on the foundation of our Savior and His gospel. We knew our parents loved
us, as they were always there for us. My mother served us in every possible way
she knew how, without even having to think about it. She was there to comfort
us when we were bullied or sad. She was there to support us in our aspirations
and goals. She was there to encourage us when we felt inadequate, overwhelmed,
or discouraged. We knew we could count on my mother, because of these small
acts of loving service for us.
The greatest service she did for us was to teach us the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. She lived her testimony each and every day, in every
situation. She likened the Savior’s teachings to just about every scenario in
our lives. She taught us to live the gospel as she made sure we always had
family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, family church
attendance, and as she and my father regularly attended the temple. She set the
example of a righteous covenant-keeping woman of God. My life is forever
blessed through her selfless service as she fulfilled her divine calling as my
mother—a mother in Zion. Her example is the one I want to follow. I hope that
one day I will be like her.
However, even with the love and service of my family, there
was a time in my life where I lost sight of the things of God and instead found
myself focused on more worldly pursuits. I fell into a dark place, especially
after my mother’s passing, and there was a long time that I believed that I
deserved all that pain, sorrow, and despair. I was filled with a
poisonous guilt that was affecting every aspect of my life. This rancid
guilt had me feeling like it was too late for me, and that life would never get
any better. Worst of all, I truly felt that I was unimportant—that no one cared
about me and that I wasn’t worthy of being loved.
It was during this time that an
inspired Relief Society president assigned to me the exact person I needed most
as my visiting teacher. Month after month for a year she faithfully visited me,
even though I was resistant at first. She would call to check up on me
regularly. She remembered my birthday. I’m fairly certain she monitored my Facebook
posts as she seemed to always be there for me during some of the hardest points
in my life. Soon, her visits became a welcome light within all the darkness my
life seemed to settle. She always invited me to start attending church again,
without being pushy. Quite the opposite, she genuinely wanted me to be happy
and she knew that the only way for me to achieve this was to return to the
covenant path. Her friendship made me feel that there really were people who
cared about me. I can’t describe what this meant to me, what it still means to
me, especially at that time. She was the answer to my prayers and remains to
this day, a blessing in my life. Her sincere, consistent service as my visiting
teacher softened my heart to the point where I started to allow the
missionaries to visit me and even attend church again, even when I faced
serious opposition from another person close to me.
This faithful caring sister worked
hand-in-hand with the elders in our ward at that time. I feel strongly that one
elder in particular was assigned to my ward at that exact time for me
personally. Each week, he and his companions visited me. Sometimes they would
share a message, but mostly they would find ways to serve me. As my husband at
the time was often not home, they would help me out with the yard work and the
heavy lifting, specifically moving large pieces of workout equipment. I even
remember one time they came over and I was frustrated after trying, and failing
multiple times to get rid of a troublesome gopher that was ripping up my
recently hydro-seeded lawn. They came at just be perfect time to solve my
gopher problem, and I’m fairly certain they had a blast trying to figure out
how to catch it.
With each visit and each act of service
from them and from my visiting teacher, my heart softened until I was ready to
receive the message the Lord wanted me to hear. During one of the visits by the
elders, I had a particularly trying day as I struggled with my relationship. I
was facing quite serious opposition to the point of hostility about my church
attendance and gospel involvement from my now ex-husband. It was that night, in
the summer of 2013, that that Elder felt inspired to share the scripture that
changed my perception and my life forever. If you’re curious, it’s Matthew
10:34. Basically, it says that nothing should be put before Christ and His
gospel. He should always come first, and if He does, then everything else will
either fall into place, or fall out of your life.
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| Those who served me and helped me back to the covenant path |
That’s the moment that everything
clicked for me. That’s the moment that I realigned my priorities with my
Heavenly Father’s will. That’s the moment that I stepped back onto the covenant
path. My life has been eternally blessed through the heartfelt service
of that faithful sister and that faithful elder. Their love and support helped
me to find my way back to the covenant path and back to my Savior. The
blessings of their acts of service have eternal ramifications as it affects not
only me, but my entire family to come.
There are so many more examples of how service has blessed
my life. So many in fact, I couldn’t possibly name them all. So many friends,
family members, ward members, and coworkers were there for me and my family
during my mother’s unexpected passing with kind words, much-needed meals,
beautiful flowers, a hug, and even with services and means donated that allowed
us to have a beautiful funeral service and burial. Their love and kindness mean
more to us than they could ever know. They were there for us when we most
needed a friend, and when we most need to feel the Lord’s love in our lives.
These caring people acted as His hands in our lives as they served us, and we
are forever grateful to them.
In times of trial and great strife, I find solace in
reaching out to and serving others. I have found that as I turn my focus
outward, instead of inward, my problems didn’t seem so bad. As I helped to bear
the burdens of others, it felt as if my own burdens were being lessened. But
the greatest blessing I receive as I serve others, is the great outpouring of
love I feel. I feel love for the person I’m serving, and at the same time, it’s
almost like I can feel the love the Lord has for me. There is an increased
presence of the spirit through this love, and that is an amazing feeling.
As I strive to emulate my mother’s example of loving
service, I often find that the greatest blessings I receive come as I serve
others. Through heartfelt service, our lives are blessed, just as the lives of
those we serve are blessed. In fact, we will never know in this life the impact
our service will have those we serve, just like those who serve us will never
know the full extent they have impacted our lives. I think that is the beauty
of service—all involved are better for it, and all involved can feel the love
of our Heavenly Parents for them through it.
