Recapturing Beauty Day 2: God's Definition of Beauty

Tuesday's challenge was to research God's definition of beauty and read Elder Lynn G. Robbins' talk "True Beauty." He discussed how true, radiant beauty does not come from our appearance but from our hearts. It comes through living the Gospel, being cleansed by the Atonement of Christ, and growing closer to the Lord. And the people that do that have a loveliness that cannot be imitated, a light that cannot be hid. 


There are some women who seem to be beautiful, who seem to be perfectly skinny and have all the expensive fashions, and sometimes I wish I looked like them. But when I think of the beautiful women in my life, these are not the faces I picture. The most beautiful women in my life are my heroes and role models, the women who exemplify Christ and are an example to me


Some of the most beautiful women in my life are my mother who teaches me about the Savior through her testimony and her example, and whose love is so powerful that I feel it even 704 miles away; my best friend's mother Diane who is one of the most selfless, stalwart people I know; my roommate Courtney who is so full of joy and love that it rubs off on everyone she meets; my sister who has great big dreams to change the world and a bright faith in the God who will lead her there; my friend Nicole who has faced incredible challenges but continues to push forward with a faith and courage that leaves me in awe; my dance teacher who sees the best in each of us and teaches us to be artists and dance with the Spirit; the many women in my home ward and stake who embrace their roles as mothers and nurturers, building up the Kingdom of God in their own unique way; and leaders in the Church such as Emma Smith, Marjorie Pay Hinckley,  Elaine S. Dalton, and Julie B. Beck. These are the women who are truly beautiful to the Lord. These are the women who I want to be like. 


In a world that shouts so many contradictory messages at us, I am deeply grateful for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father loves me perfectly and thinks I am beautiful just the way I am. 


"True beauty can’t be painted on but is a gift of the Spirit. It is literally letting your light shine before men. When virtue is combined with obedience to the Lord’s laws of health and respect for the human body, young people truly become temples in which the Holy Ghost dwells, giving them a beautiful aura. It is this beauty that is most becoming and enduring." 

-Lynn G. Robbins, "True Beauty"

It's All About Your Heart.

Image found here. 

Have you listened to Mindy Gledhill's awesome new album? I love it. I can't get enough of it. The best song  is "All About Your Heart," written for the amazing Stephanie Neilsen. If you haven't heard her story, click here. If you haven't read her splendidly candid blog, click here. 

Whenever I feel like overwhelmed and inadequate, I close my eyes, turn on that song, and let the Spirit seep into my heart. It's like a love letter from my Heavenly Father to me. Every time I listen to it, the Spirit confirms that this is just how God feels about me, and all of His children.  


Oh, I've loved you from the start
In every single way
And more each passing day
You are brighter than the stars
Believe me when I say
It's not about your scars
It's all about your heart


I know that I am imperfect. I know that I mess up. But the Lord doesn't mind that so much. "It's not about your past and your scars," He says. "It's all about your heart." He knows that my intentions are good and that my heart longs to do what is right, even if my hands can't seem to make that happen. I am special to Him. I am His daughter. He has created me with unique gifts and a special mission in this life. He loves me perfectly, and no matter what happens, I know He always will. 


I wish I had the words to express how very grateful I am for that beautiful knowledge!


(PS- Mindy Gledhill is performing at a free concert this Friday, if you're in Utah Valley and want to go. Click here!)

Take me higher

Photo by John H. Maw

I started fall semester last week, and with it an intermediate contemporary dance class. I was rather intimidated on the first day. It seemed that all of my classmates were Music-Dance-Theater majors and lifelong dancers looked flawless and moved beautifully. That's not who I am. I just dance for fun. But with all this talent around me, I wondered, would the semester be fun?

"We are not going to compare or criticize ourselves," our instructor declared. "We are all artists and beautiful children of God. We each have a story to tell. And the moment we look in the mirror and start thinking negatively about ourselves or others, we prevent our message from being shared. We are NOT going to let that happen."

But when we really got dancing on the second day of class, I did allow that to happen. With every movement, I felt like I was falling behind the other dancers. When they performed, they seemed to glide across the floor with the grace of swans. I felt like all I could do was flail my arms and legs like a beetle stuck on its back, trying in vain to roll over, wishing in vain to dance as beautifully as my swan classmates. And of course there were others in the class who, like me, didn't pick up the moves as quickly or gracefully, but in the midst of my pity-party I did not notice. All I could think of was how horrible I was, how I could never be a real dancer, that I should probably drop the class and stick with beginning dance classes for the rest of my college career.

Friday I came back to class, still discouraged. It didn't take long for me to start criticizing myself again, but then my teacher's wise words popped into my mind: "We are all artists and beautiful children of God. We each have a story to tell." I decided that I would make this a private battle, that I would stop comparing myself to others and focus on my own progression. Sure, I could drop the class and stay where I was comfortable, but how would I be able to grow? How would I learn to tell my story if I stopped here? 

That decision has made all the difference.

(It's funny how we become so much freer once we finally let go and forget ourselves.)

Why do I dance? Not to look better than others, or to even look good at all. I dance to share the story of how Jesus Christ's Atonement has transformed me, and how it continues to change me each day. It is the same reason why I write, why I sing, why I serve, why I live - to testify of my Savior and invite others to come unto Him.

We're learning a combination to the song "Higher" by Cindy Morgan. As I do the spins and arabesques, I wobble, I forget the combination, I am imperfect. But that is part of my story. None of us can walk through this life without stumbling and falling, but what matters is that we look to the Redeemer to help us get back up and continue on the journey. 

Each day that I dance, I learn that Jesus Christ truly does take me higher than I could ever reach on my own.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 

-Winston Churchill

The Messy Version.

Hillary was my best friend during my teenage years. We met in Christian Youth Theater when I was 12 and she was 13, and we spent the next 6 years doing all kinds of musicals together. We were very much alike; we were both oldest sisters, both liked the same music, both were casted in similar roles, we even had the same hair color and style. "You are just like Hillary," my mom once remarked, "but the messy version."

It was true, one of our few differences was my messiness. Her hair always stayed perfectly in place while mine easily fell limp and stuck up in every direction. Her make-up always stayed nice, while mine always smeared and wore off. (Fortunately she is a whiz at stage make-up, so she was always there to fix it for me.) She always looked so put together while many times I looked like a train wreck. Even her speech and relationships seemed pretty perfect. Sometimes I say things without thinking, but Hillary has always been the epitome of grace and poise.

I didn't mind my mom's comment so much. I acknowledged my messiness and knew that it was part of who I was. But every once in a while I wish I was more like Hillary and less like myself. I see other beautiful people and wonder why my hair looks funny and my clothes get ripped and my mouth says dumb things. Sometimes I long to be flawless. 

When these doubts and self-abusive thoughts come into my mind, I think of my blessings. I have incredible family and friends who don't mind my messiness. They love me for (and in spite of) myself. It is an honor and a blessing to associate with you Christlike people. I learn so much from your examples and testimonies, and you inspire me to be a little bit better every day. Thank you for loving me and teaching me by the way you live your lives.

Heavenly Father could have created me as a less messy person, but for some reason He didn't. He loves me despite my messiness and my shortcomings. Yes, I have weaknesses, but the Lord doesn't let them define me. He knows my strengths, and He knows my heart. He knows that I long to do good. I may not be perfect, but He loves me, and my best is good enough for Him. What a comfort it is to know that!

Sometimes I forget the simple fact that God loves me. I get so caught up in trying to be perfect that I think I have to earn my Heavenly Father's love and do everything on my own. When I finally slow down long enough to listen to the Lord's still, small voice, the message is always the same: "I know you. I love you. I am pleased with you. You are enough. Rely on me." 

Jesus had some messiness in His life too, messiness that left Him with a scarred and imperfect body. He chooses to keep those imperfections as a reminder of what He endured that enables us to transcend our messiness and become perfect, glorified beings.

 "Graven Upon My Palms", Emily Pugmire

I guess my messiness and imperfections make it possible for the glory of God to be manifest in me. In the end, my weaknesses help me learn to rely on the Atonement of Christ and can be a testimony to others of the power of the Atonement. 


And that is quite the reason to be grateful for the messy version. 

Productivity, the Hubble Telescope, and God's Grace

Photo found here.

Sometimes I measure my worth on my productivity. It's a nasty habit.

In a world so focused on appearances and earthly accomplishments, I often forget what is most important and get hard on myself for not doing or being everything I "should." And every time it turns out that my perceptions of what people expect of me are totally ridiculous. I expect so much more from myself than anyone else does.

So yesterday when I got off of work early, I started making a mental checklist of everything I should get done with my extra time. But when I went to do those things, I found myself tired and empty; I simply could not be productive right then.

So, I let go. I just sat and watched Saved by the Bell and did not worry about my to-do list. And I realized how much I needed to just be still.

Being productive and accomplishing goals is important. But for perfectionists like me, we sometimes need a reminder that it is OK to slow down and take care of ourselves, so that when the time comes to go to work, we can do it with a grateful heart and a cheerful countenance.

********************************************************************

Last night I went to the science center with my parents and my brother to watch an Imax movie about the Hubble Telescope. Not being anything close to a scientist, I didn't know much about the Hubble Telescope or the fantastic things it photographs.

I was blown away.

The narrator described the unbelievable celestial phenomena depicted on the screen. Images from thousands of lightyears away. Cloud canyons where stars are born. Multiple galaxies with solar systems like our own. The vastness of the universe overwhelmed me.

But what was more overwhelming is the role I play in that universe. Despite my classification as a small, ordinary girl without much significance in anything worldly significant, God still loves me. The most wondrous, powerful being in the universe, the one who has created all the galaxies, nebulas, and supernovea also created me. Even though I am not as big or awe-inspiring as those celestial objects, I am His daughter, and He created all of those things so that I could return home to Him and receive exaltation. While astronomy is breath-taking, it is His children that He glories in (see Moses 1:39).

Even though I am a very small speck in the vastness of the universe and the eternal nature of its existence, Heavenly Father has a specific plan for me. He has given me unique gifts to accomplish a special mission during my time on this Earth and my life in the eternities after that. While countless other children and creations seek Him, He still answers whenever I call. I may not be able to shine as brightly as a mere star, but He knows that I have the potential to obtain a glory just as brilliant as His.

And the best part? God restrain me with a timeline. He doesn't base my worth on my productivity. He finds value in me merely because I am His daughter.

God's ability to simultaneously see the hairs on my head within the infinite nature of eternity baffles me. I so often find myself forgetting the big picture to obsess over details that don't matter. I don't want that; I want to have an eternal perspective like The Father's.

But I'll be patient. I know He'll help me develop it - one day at a time.

"You Have Everything You Need To Be Happy"

I got a letter from my best friend the other day that taught me something profound. Sometimes among all the talent at BYU, I doubt the gifts God has given me and start to wonder if I really have any at all. Being my best friend, he sensed my self-doubt and shared a beautiful truth he's learned in the mission field.

I'm reminded of something they teach us as missionaries in learning the language - never compare yourself to someone else....For me, in learning Russian, I've discovered that as long as you're trying your best , you will be able at the exact level that the Lord NEEDS you to be at.

Lately I've found myself caught in what Elder Holland called, "our culture's obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are enough." My friend's observation taught me the key to escaping this miserable mindset - trusting that God gives us all that we need.

Not all that we want, but all that we need. He is omniscient and omnipotent; He could certainly give me all the musical, artistic, intellectual skills I have ever desired. But He hasn't.

He has, however, provided for all of my temporal and spiritual needs. Every time I ask in faith, He aids. And I know that despite my impractical, not-so-marketable major, my Heavenly Father will provide for my needs in His due time.

One of my mom's friends has a sign on her front door that reads, "you have everything you need to be happy." That little phrase made me wonder, would I really be any happier if I was thinner, prettier, richer, smarter, or more talented? No, I wouldn't. Happiness is based on obedience to the Lord's commandments and the attitude we choose to have. So even though I've thought that I needed all those extra things, I

not what we possess or who we impress. I don't need anything else to be happy.

I must remember to be grateful for all that I have and also be grateful that God in His infinite wisdom has not given me any more than He has.

And when I look at what He has given me, I feel the warmth of the Spirit confirm that yes, I really do have everything I need to be happy.

The Power of Unconditional Love

Girls' Camp, July 2009

We got a new bishop a couple weeks ago and I went to meet with him a couple weeks ago. I've applied to be an EFY counselor this summer and still have not heard back from them. They contact your bishop as a reference, and I figured that it might be good for the poor guy to actually know who I am if they called him up.

My bishop is amazing.

He was paralyzed by a shot to his spine when he was 14 and is in a wheelchair. Being in a wheelchair led him to wheelchair sports and he was on the national wheelchair cycling team in the paralympics! He was also a scoutmaster for many years and has great insights from that experience.

Meeting with him was different than any of my previous appointments with bishops. Instead of letting me lead the discussion, he took control from the beginning of it. It took me by surprise at first, but it turned out to be a great experience. He started asking me questions about my idea of being an EFY counselor. Why do I want to be an EFY counselor? How will I relate to the young men in my group? Am I a ready for these kids to put me on a pedestal as an example of virtue and chastity?

I wasn't very prepared because I hadn't thought about these things since my interview before.

I told him about my experience last summer as a

tent mom at Young Women's camp. My goal was to show my girls the love of Christ since I did not know if they had experienced that love in their lives before (and I discovered that many of them came from harsh backgrounds where they indeed had not felt the love of Christ). That decision transformed me into a better leader and opened the hearts of these sweet girls. I think they served me more than I was able to serve them.

At this point in the conversation the bishop grew very quiet. He asked, "so, do you think that giving your youth the Love of Christ is the single most important thing you can do for them as a counselor?"

I reflected for a few seconds and then said, "Yes. It is."

"I was going to say unconditional love, but that is the love of Christ. In the world there is so much conditional love, and I believe that unconditional love can transform today's youth. I now know everything I need to know."

********************************************************************

There is so much conditional respect, admiration, and love in the world. If you wear the right clothes, say the right things, listen to the right music, watch the right TV shows, you get attention. If you refuse to be a blind follower of pop culture, you risk being alone and unpopular. What a terrible way for the world to be.

What we forget is that people are eternal beings. The fads we give up so much time and money to follow will fade in an instant, but the people and relationships we take for granted will exist throughout the eternities.

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors....Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. -C.S. Lewis

I love that line, "your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses." My neighbor is precious because they are eternal, but also precious because Christ is manifest in them.

It was not always easy. Sometimes they fought with each other over petty things. Sometimes they complained about the activities. Sometimes they screamed about bugs in the middle of the night. Sometimes I had to pray really hard to find some ounce of love inside me; I felt like I would snap from frustration and exhaustion, but I knew that if I was unkind to these vulnerable girls, I could cause serious damage. And the Lord helped me to see the divine in these girls, to love them when they seemed unlovable, to feel a portion of the love that their Savior has for them.

I saw amazing things happen as I loved my girls with all I had to give. They learned to love themselves. They learned to love each other. They learned to love the Lord and gained stronger testimonies of the Gospel. I received sweet notes from some of them, humorous because of their preteen methods of expression.

I think you are so nice. When I talk you always listen you don't just fake like the other people.

I really like you because you are respectful and you are nicer to everyone even if they're not nice to you.

I just want to thank you for being so nice and respectful ALSO very understanding to all of us girls

Thanks again I will always remember you and you're my hero!

You are the best camp leader ever!

But the truth is, through this experience I learned more than I think those girls did. I learned that pure, unconditional, Christlike love truly is the most powerful thing in the world. It opens and heals hearts. It makes it possible for a 19-year-old white BYU student to be able to relate to 12-year-old Black, Hawaiian and Filipino girls. It brings the Spirit of the Lord into whatever place you are in, even if it's a dirty campground. It refines and purifies me, making me a better person day by day. Knowing that there are people who love me unconditionally helps me to have the courage it takes to work towards becoming the best I can be.

And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another....

And thus they became the children of God. -Mosiah 18:21-22

And that is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing - sharing the love of Christ with whoever the Lord puts in my path so we can all become the children of God.

Who I was Born to Be

Me, about 1996

I've always been different from my peers.

As a child I had many of the same personality traits that I have now. I have a unique gift to not care much about what others think of me. I am my own person and don't struggle with peer pressure. And while that is such a protection, such a blessing, it has left me alone rather often.

My mom says that I've always gotten along better with people younger than me or older than me; there was just too much competition in my peer group. Even today some of my closest friends are older or younger than me.

I am a perfectionist, especially when it comes to inter-personal relationships. I doubt myself a lot. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by my expectations of perfection that I can't even begin. I like chocolate milk too much and vegetables too little. I like to read in voracious chunks - I'll read an entire book in one Friday afternoon and go for a month before I seriously read another one. I have a strong aversion to confrontation. I need a lot of alone time. I'm not good at hiding my feelings, so when someone annoys me they, unfortunately, find out about it.
I hunger for eternity.
While other fourth graders read "Baby-sitter's club" or "Goosebumps" books, I was reading "Little Women" (which has been my favorite book ever since). In high school others were content with running around and having fun, but I longed to go to BYU. I knew that none of my friendships there would be very deep or lasting. I wanted friends who would really understand me, who would help me grow, who would be my friends forever. And even now, as I enjoy the wonderful spiritual and social environment of BYU, part of me longs for the future when I will be a mother and a wife. There have been times when my roommates are hanging out with people in the ward and I stay at home, talking to my mom on the phone or reading Segullah or doingFamilySearch Indexing. I anxiously look forward to the end of April when I will fly home to be with my family, be a pseudo-mom again, put on tea parties for little girls in the world, and hopefully be an EFY counselor (I'm still waiting to hear back).
And I'm not good at worldly things.
I was listening to a devotional talk the other day and this story hit a special place in my heart. It as an experience that happened to Elder Holland's daughter, Mary, when she was 7 years old. These are the words from her journal at the time.

I was practicing the piano one day, and it made me cry because it was so bad. Then I decided to practice ballet, and it made me cry more; it was bad, too. So then I decided to draw a picture because I knew I could do that good, but it was horrid. Of course it made me cry.

Then my little three-year-old brother came up, and I said, 'Duffy, what can I be? What can I be? I can't be a piano player or an artist or a ballet girl. What can I be?' He came up to me and whispered, 'You can be my sister.'

Me and my sister, about 1994

Friday was one of those "what can I be?" days. It was just another day at school, but it seemed like everything I did was a failure. It all culminated in clogging, my last class of the day. We were finishing up a combination that I had been struggling with. The teacher introduced some new steps that just put me over the edge. Everyone else seemed to get it just fine. I had asked my classmates for help, but each time they seemed annoyed that I couldn't pick it up. They would rush through the step and I would pretend that I understood it to avoid annoying them further.

I wearily climbed up the stairs from the Richards Building, trying to ignore my sweatiness and the tears of frustration welling in my eyes. Why couldn't I do anything well? Why couldn't people be more patient with me? Was there anything I could do well? In essence, what could I be?

Then one of my favorite scriptures popped into my mind.

"Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength,for this is not thy calling. Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office." -D&C 24:8-9

Temporal labors. Was that what I had been seeking after? My desires to do well in school, my social life, dancing, singing - these were all temporal. They weren't lasting. In the eternal perspective - in God's perspective - they didn't really matter.

The Lord has taught that He GIVES us weaknesses to keep us humble, to teach us that He is the only source of lasting strength (see Ether 12:27). He could have created me to be gifted in "temporal labors," but He did not. And He did it for a reason.

I think one of those reasons is addressed in Ether 12:27; my weaknesses keep me humble and keep me coming back to the Lord for help. But that verse also promises that God can make weak things become strong unto those who seek them. That has happened for me in many areas (my testimony, social skills, ability to love, optimism, and self-confidence) but not the areas I have listed above. God could make be an impressive dancer, singer, and/or scholar. But He doesn't want to.

When I ask Him why, the answer is always the same. "For this is not thy calling."

So then, what is my calling? What areas do I have strength in?

I like to think I am pretty good at writing. My mother always tells me so. And that fact that you are reading this seems to be proof that I'm not horrible. I've gotten positive comments on the blog posts I've written and the quotes I post on my facebook. It is a small thing, but through it the Lord has been able to uplift and strengthen others.

I'm not bad at singing. At BYU my gift doesn't help much, but when I go home my voice is needed more. It is so fun to sing in my home ward's choir and feel that my voice is actually a benefit to them. And of course, my favorite way to sing is to testify of Jesus Christ.

I've gotten better at meeting new people and making them feel comfortable. I'm good at making new friendships and maintaining the old ones.

I have a special love for youth and children. I love spending time with them, talking to them, and caring for them. I want to teach them about Christ so they can be their best selves, so they can reach their full potential. That's another gift -I have a strong testimony of the gospel. I know that God lives. I know that He loves me and blesses me and guides my life. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, the Son of God. I know that His Atonement is real and has the power to heal, to transform, to make ugly things beautiful once more.

So what is my calling? To testify of Christ. To love my brothers and sisters and teach them about the Savior, who will ultimately bring them back home to Heavenly Father. To be a wife and a mother that will base my family on the gospel of Jesus Christ. To raise children unto the Lord. I will testify with words when its necessary, but mostly in being a window to the love of Christ. When people think of me, I want them to think of the love the Savior has for them. I want to be a living manifestation of that love. I want everything in my life to point to Christ, to testify of Him, to glorify Him, to accomplish His work and glory - "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (see Moses 1:39).

And when I remember that great work the Lord has given me the ability and desire to do, suddenly nothing else matters. I don't want to be a clogger anymore - I want to be a disciple.

I was pondering all of these things yesterday, still feeling a little sad and trying to remind myself of all of my blessings. I was battling another round of negative thoughts about myself when the Spirit whispered, "You are not filling the measure of your creation here; you are preparing for it."

At this point in my life I am not able to be a wife or a mother or teach youth about the Savior. But I am able to serve those around me and share my testimony with them. But mostly I can prepare to fulfill my life's mission. Study the gospel. Strengthen my testimony. Get even closer to the Lord. Get ready for those years when I will be required to give a tremendous output.

Christ had to pass through Gethsemane to become who He was born to be; Am I greater than He? No, and I must pass through my own Gethsemane to become who God wants me to be.

And I am willing to pay the price because I know that He will make some better than I could ever imagine.

And that He will help me through every step of the journey.

And though I may not

Know the answers

I can finally say I am free

And if the questions

Led me here,

Then I am who I was born to be.

-Susan Boyle

This is what I was born to be.

Photo by Michelle L.

Lift Where You Stand: A New Perspective on Service

Photo by Michelle L. See her other brilliant works here.

I have been thinking a lot this past school year about service and what kind of service Heavenly Father wants me to perform in my life.

My roommate is going into International Development and is very passionate about Africa. She has gone there several times to serve and do research, and plans to return many times in the future. Last night I attended BYU's Hunger Banquet and visited the booths of many Non-Governmental Organizations who are doing amazing things to help impoverished people throughout the world. The evening's theme was "Celebrating Human Dignity." The Students for International Development who ran this event proclaimed that the poor people of the world have just as much ability and tenacity as the rest of us. Those who wish to help them should do so in a way that does not diminish their dignity. But I left feeling that my dignity had been diminished.

For some reason I have developed this notion in the last few months that lack worth because I have never left the country. This statement sounds ridiculous, but this feeling has been very subtle and difficult for me to identify. Seeing all of those NGOs and people seeking careers in international development made me feel guilty. And then I felt frustrated because it is not possible for me to go abroad at this point in my life. And then I felt ignorant and useless. What should have been an uplifting event turned out to be a huge struggle for me because of this strange attitude I had picked up.

But, as always, the Lord was there to show me His will for me, to remind me of who I really am and what He has called me to do.

Sometimes we do not hear the rest of what the Lord is telling us. "Although you are worthy to serve in this position," He may say, "this is not my calling for you. It is my desire instead that you lift where you stand." God knows what is best for us. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

While big service projects, NGOs and international trips are wonderful, I truly believe that the best service we can do is to lift where we stand. Sometimes we focus so much on the needs of the world that we fail to notice the needs of those in our communities and even our own homes. Heavenly Father has placed people in our everyday lives for a reason.

My main goal this school year has been to lift where I stand, or in other words, to find ways to serve people in the tasks I do every day. It has changed my life. When I am extra friendly to customer at work, they leave happier than before. When I choose to respond lovingly to those who irritate me, I am able to save my relationships and have the Spirit with me. When I put enough time and energy into my scripture study, I am able to spread sunshine rather than dark clouds. When I choose to introduce myself to someone who is sitting alone, I am blessed with new friends. When I call up an old friend to see how they are doing, I am remind them of how much their Savior loves them.

See how much good you can do in your own little world every day?

I think one of the biggest ways to serve people is to just be kind. I am astonished sometimes at how people rudely people talk to each other (there's another post in the works about this topic). We forget that our quick, hurtful words can create wounds that will take a lifetime to heal. Marjorie Pay Hinckley said it best. "Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors....Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. -C.S. Lewis

Let us remember than human beings are the most valuable thing on this earth, because they last forever. Let us remember that we all need saving. Let us remember that it is truly possible to serve in our everyday lives. Let us remember the Master's example and have the courage to follow it by serving in ways that are not loudly praised, but have echoes that will be felt throughout the eternities.

You may not be a genius. You may not be exceptionally smart. But you can be good, and you can try. And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward. - Gordon B. Hinckley