It’s funny how the spirit can catch you when you least expect it… Today as I attended church alone [Josh is on tour] I had no expectations of receiving any life-changing or super inspirational news. As terrible as it might sound, I felt like I was going through the motions and checking the things I needed to do throughout the day off of a list. As I sat in the back and listened to a sister in our ward speak, I had an incredible feeling of motivation/inspiration mixed with the warming of the spirit.
The topic of the day was SERVICE. As she spoke these words I couldn’t help but laugh/cry to myself. You see, we had a snow storm last night and I was dreading having to wake up and clear a path for my car to make it out of the driveway… with Josh gone, I knew this was bound to happen. However, when I woke up this morning it was to the sound of shovels just outside my door… I sneakily peaked through the window and watched as my neighbor and his three small boys [all under 12] were shoveling my driveway and sidewalks… I have to admit I was brought to tears by this sweet simple gesture. SERVICE… Such a simple principle that can change your life. To dive into specifics, the highlight of her talk was to-
Never Suppress a Generous Thought
When such pure/ generous thoughts are placed into our head, they are put there by the spirit. However small the gesture, however simple the task.. we must not suppress, rather act on it, for we never know the effect it will have on the one receiving.
God does notice us & he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. -Spencer W. Kimball
When you are lovingly serving someone, they are benefitting from your efforts. This is something that you can see almost immediately after the service is given. Can you imagine, however, just how much you are serving yourself in return? When focusing on the subject, you find that serving is one commandment that is meant to benefit us more than the one we are serving.
Only by GIVING are you able to receive MORE than you already have
-Jim Rohn
When talking of service, I cannot help but think of someone I admire so much…..
Pres. Thomas S. Monson [The good ol’ prophet himself!]
President Monson has made service his life-long mission and has inspired so many to go out and serve…
One of his talks that I absolutely love is What Have I Done for Someone Today?
“- we are surrounded by those in need of our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness- be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lords hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”
You might think that having someone depend on you is somewhat of a burden [I know there are times when I certainly feel this way.] The Lord however, does not expect you to run faster than you have strength, or give more than you can manage. Generous thoughts and selflessly serving, however small/medium/large the size, has an impact [more than imagined] on the person you are serving [and yourself.] God works in mysterious ways, and we may never know the magnitude of the gestures we give. Service is our way of being a tool in His hands. Whether the act of kindness be for the benefit of our fellow neighbors or ourselves, we must NOT suppress a generous thought!
