Pondering Service

I've been thinking about service lately. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, service to others has been a foundational principle I've heard about throughout my life. We are taught that charity is an attribute of Christ, and we seek to be like Him.

Service isn't something that comes automatically to me. I've known a handful of people in my life for whom charity seemed to be second nature. I've always admired those people, but for me, service is something I have to consciously think about--and something that all too often gets neglected in my life.

My visiting teachers came over this morning. (I have awesome visiting teachers right now, by the way. Love them.) We spent most of our time chatting, and for my part, enjoying the sight of my dog playing with my VT's young sons. At any rate, before they left, they shared a brief spiritual message with me. The main topic was about emulating Jesus Christ. But the part that stuck with me surrounds this quote by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

"You wonderful sisters render compassionate service to others for reasons that supersede desires for personal benefits. In this you emulate the Savior … His thoughts were always tuned to help others.”

My biggest hangup is that I struggle figuring out how to serve. There have been a couple of moments in the past few weeks where I have felt an impulse to serve someone, but have been at a complete loss of how to go about it, and have proceeded to do nothing at all.

I think this was one of the Savior's truest gifts: he knew how to serve, and he did so without any thought to himself.

Now, I'm not totally hopeless. I fulfill my church callings gladly. I serve at my job, working each and every day to improve the lives of my students. I try to serve my husband and my family. But there is a part of me, especially of late, that craves more. My soul quietly nudges me. I long to find meaningful, selfless ways to lift up those around me, particularly those whom I sense are in need.

For instance: I have a dear friend who always seems to be struggling with something. Her husband was abusive. Fortunately he's no longer in the picture, but this means she is a single mother to three boys. Two years ago, their house burned down. They lost all of their belongings. Now she's struggling with foreclosure. Not to mention she's been having seizures and heart problems, so that's decreased her ability to work and medical bills are racking up. But this woman is so humble and so stubborn that she does not ask for help--she hardly even talks about the issues she is having, no matter how dire they seem to me.

So, this friend has been on my mind for awhile, but I haven't known how to help, so I have done nothing. And then yesterday, a mutual friend posted on Facebook--she's having a fundraiser, without our friend's knowledge, to help make a difference in the lives of our friend and her children. Brilliant, I thought. I wish I had come up with it!

How do you decide how to serve? Especially when you see someone who truly needs help, but who does not ask for aid? What acts of service have made a difference in your life? I crave your thoughts, my friends! I do not want to be stuck in nothing-land any more. I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who need help, whether a little or a lot.