Serving Others
When you are baptised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you make a promise, well actually you make several promises, but there is one part of the promise that you make that says;
"Bear others’ burdens, that they may be light; mourn with those that
mourn; and comfort those in need of comfort"
What that means is that just like Jesus Christ, we should help others around us. We call that helping of other people Service.
It is always great to serve, and our family feel it is best when there isn't a reward, although if we're painting your fence in some of the hottest weather we've ever experienced an ice-lolly is always welcome!
Opportunities for service are everywhere.
No, seriously they are, and they don't all have to be big gestures like painting a fence! It could be kind words given to someone having a bad day, or noticing a new hair cut and lifting someone's spirits. It could be that a meal or a treat is made, and given to a family that are ill or busy or have had some sad news or some good news or even just because you love them.
It could be having a conversation in the Supermarket, it could be making sandwiches for a party or giving someone a hug. It could be babysitting, or cleaning a bathroom, or even spending time with someone who has just given birth and helping them breastfeed their newborn. It could be giving someone some flowers, or weeding a patch of grass, passing on some toys or clothes or just being there when they need a friend.
We do this because we try to model ourselves after the Saviour, and how he did acts of service for all those he met. There are so many examples in the Scriptures where he helped people both with acts of service that were temporal and spiritual in nature. I think this is why the Missionaries are so often known for being willing to do acts of service for people that they meet in the street, they want to help everyone just like Jesus Christ did. Just like him, we do it because he wanted to, he did it because he could. We don't do it because someone was keeping score, or because we want others to be impressed. He did it because he had pure love for everyone and we want to be like that too.
Our whole family love doing acts of service, I could list it, but that's not the point. We have found though that sometimes, we might not want to serve, especially at times where perhaps we aren't feeling so happy in ourselves. That is when our family has learnt that serving is even more important as there is something great about lifting others spirits or being able to help others, even if it is just helping someone with their shopping or cleaning their bathroom with them, as it raises your spirits and makes you feel a little less down than you were before.