Saturday night, the Bishopric asked me to speak, and now that talk I scrambled to write is my weekly email. Enjoy!
>*Fast forward to introduction blabber*> I would like to start my talk by reading a story called “Too Hurried to Serve?”:
In his monthly ward newsletter, a young bishop wrote of a group of religion instructors at a theological seminary who were taking a summer course on the life of the Savior – one focusing particularly on the parables.
When the final exam time came, the students arrived at the classroom to find a note on the table stating that the exam would be given in another building across campus. The note said that the test must be finished within a two-hour time period that was starting at that moment.
The students hurried across campus. On the way, they passed a little girl crying over a flat tire on her new bike. An old man hobbling painfully toward the library with a cane in one hand, spilled his books on the sidewalk. On a bench, by the union building, sat a shabbily dressed, bearded man with a sign: “I need money to eat. Please help me.”
Rushing into the other classroom, the students were met by the professor, who announced that they had all failed the final exam.
The only true test of whether they understood the Savior’s life and teaching, he said, was how they treated people in need. Their weeks of study at the feet of a capable professor had taught them a great deal of what Christ had said and done. But nothing they learned in class was as effective as the lesson learned from the professor’s exam.
–Author Unknown
If we are true disciples of Jesus Christ we have to do what He did, not just know what He did. We know that Christ taught that we must first love God and secondly, our neighbors, that these are the two Great Commandments. But are we doing so?
The prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon wrote: “He said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” (2 Nephi 31:10)
Are we following Christ by keeping these commandments? How is our desire to love our neighbors? I’ll be honest, for my part, there are days that are very difficult for me to love everyone. As missionaries, people reject our message, mock our faith, laugh at my accent, and tell me that “no one wants you here.”
In these moments I want to scream “How come you don’t understand my love? I left my country, I left my family, and I learned your language, to bless your life and your family. Don’t you see my love?” But love is not something you debate or discuss, it is something you feel.
I think a lot about how I can “love my enemy, bless those who curse me, do good to those who hate me, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute me.” I also ask how is it possible to reach everyone when I am just weak and inadequate me? One answer can be explained in the story called “The Starfish”:
An old man was walking along the beach. In the distance, he saw someone who seemed to be dancing along the waves. As he got close, he saw a young man picking up starfish and tossing them back into the ocean.
“What are you doing?” the old man asked.
“The sun is coming up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they will die.”
“But young man, there are miles and miles of beach with starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference.”
The young man bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it back past the breaking waves. “It made a difference to that one.”
The young man’s actions represent something in each of us. We are all gifted with the ability to make a difference. Each of us can shape our own future, and each of us can help others reach their potential.
–Author Unknown
We don’t need to do something big or complicated, the small things we do will make a difference in someone’s life.
Alma 37:6 states, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.”
Christ taught us to love everyone, which is a process, it is a journey to get to the point where we can say that we really love everyone. Today, we just need to try to love more people, more sincerely than we did yesterday. How can you do that? You can:
- Write a letter to someone who is sick
- Invite a neighbor over for dinner or family night
- Express more sincere gratitude to employees at the grocery store, at the office, and on the bus
- Call relatives who live far away and show that you are aware and care about them
- For young people, start today by preparing to serve a mission. The best thing you can do to prepare is read and pray about the Book of Mormon.
- Participate in service activities in the Church and community
- Help your children or siblings read and learn more about Jesus Christ
- And visit the friend who didn’t come to church last Sunday, even if you’re not his ministering brother or sister
The big things we do, brother and sisters, are appreciated for sure, but it’s the little things we do consistently that transform our desires and change our hearts.
Let us be true and simple followers of Christ. Let us be disciples every day, through our thoughts, desires, words, and actions. Let’s make a difference for the one, and we will see the miracles and blessings that come.
I know that God is a God of love, that he is our Heavenly Father, who sent his son Jesus Christ to set the perfect example for each of us. I testify, brothers and sisters, “that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;” and our own souls will be filled with joy and love for God as we serve and love our neighbors. Heavenly Father and His Son love us, and I love them. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
That’s all folks, Tchau tchau for now!
Com amor,
Sister Alyssa Grace
Jaboatão Dos Guararapes, Brasil
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