Talk - Service

I gave this talk in my ward last Sunday. I was supposed to be one of three speakers, but one of them did not show up. My talk lasted about 10 minutes. The other kid speaking spent 30 minutes talking... so I guess it all worked out.

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My name is Robin. I was born in Salt Lake and soon afterward my dad joined the Army so I grew up everywhere else. I graduated from high school in Lindale, Texas and my family currently lives in Surprise, Arizona. I have four younger brothers and sisters. One of my brothers is on a mission in Mexico City and the rest of my siblings are still at home. We’re all super close, and I think it’s partially because we moved so much but mostly because I have the most awesome parents in the world. Hands down. I’m super grateful for them, even though as a teenager I was pretty ornery. I was one of those, “I’m miserable and it’s everyone else’s fault” teens. My wonderful parents each had their own solutions to these moods of mine. Mom would have me write a “grateful list” and dad would set me up with a service project. Brothers and Sisters, let me just say that there isn’t much worse than doing either of these things when you are in a bad mood. I remember one time my mom and I came home from yet another shopping trip that ended in tears and frustration. Once we got home and mom explained the situation to my dad, he said, “Well that all works out then, because there’s a family in the ward that needs someone to bring dinner to them and with the extra time Robin has on her hands- it looks like she can take care of that.” I was so angry and frustrated, but I knew I really didn’t have a choice. As I cooked, I calmed down and began to think of the family I was helping. As I began to focus away from myself the spirit was able to come back and I was brought closer to Christ. The petty problems that had caused my tantrum didn’t matter anymore. These are the effects of service, and that is what I’m going to talk to you all about today.

            

Christ was the perfect example for us while he was here on earth. In addition to fulfilling the Atonement and organizing his church on earth, his entire life was dedicated to the service of his fellow man. This exemplifies his gospel, which we call the Sermon on the Mount- a message given in Matthew 5 and also 3 Nephi 12. I won’t read the whole chapter to you, most of you have read these chapters many many times anyway. But I will read a small part. Verses 14-16 of 3 Nephi 12 say: Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house; Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Christ’s gospel is actually quite simple. It’s about how you treat people. Are you kind? Are you honest? Do you treat all people with respect? Further than this, do you actually try to get to know people, or are you hiding your light under a bushel? We usually use this phrase when talking about our talents, but I think the light can also refer to our service and friendship.

In Mark 12, when Christ is asked what the greatest commandment is, he says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Christ himself says that this commandment about serving and fellowshipping with each other is second only to loving our God, and I think it is severely overlooked. I can’t speak for all of you, but I know that as a college student, life can easily begin to resemble a checklist. For me it usually goes like this: Class- check. Lunch- check. Work- check. Run- check. Dinner-check. Homework- check. Prayers and scriptures are usually at the bottom of this list. If I get to them, great, if not it’s not going to affect my grades or income. Nowhere on this list does it list anything about getting to know people or acts of service. As the rest of my life condenses into a checklist, so do the spiritual things. And if you are treating the gospel as a checklist, you’re not going to get much out of it.

Possibly the most “checklisted” practice of the church ties directly into service and fellowship and that is Visiting teaching and Home teaching. Since I joined relief society and began visiting teaching, I was troubled by what I felt was a flaw in the system. If one of the women I taught was going through a rough time or was in serious need of help, she wouldn’t talk to me and my companion, she’d talk to her friends. We’re just the girls who come by with a message and maybe some chocolate every month. While this is not necessarily unwelcome, it certainly doesn’t make us friends or confidants. It was only last year that I learned that the flaw was not in the system, it was a flaw in the way I visit taught. I learned this from one of my best friends and heroes, Jen Christensen. During the very last month of Winter Semester, I had made appointments with my teachees as usual. They were awesome girls and I had been teaching them since Fall semester began. When the time came to go visit them, I couldn’t find my companion anywhere. I found Jen and asked her to go with me instead. She agreed, and we went to go meet with the first girl, Carly. As we sat down, I began to launch into my pre-message questions. You all know what I’m talking about, “how are you?” “how are classes?” “what are your plans for summer?”. But before I could get too far with these, Jen asked her if her boyfriend was still in the hospital. I was shocked. I didn’t even know Carly had a boyfriend. Carly, who had never opened up to me and my companion, began to talk about her missionary and how he had to come home because of medical reasons and that he had been in the hospital for several weeks. I felt like a total fool and I was just in awe of Jen who knew more about my teachee than I did after two semesters of being her visiting teacher. I treated Carly as a checklist, while Jen was truly a friend to her, just as she was to everyone she met. This, to me, is an example of real service and a shining manifestation of the pure love of Christ.

The reason that service and fellowship are overlooked is because you can’t really put it on a checklist. “Be kind” is not something that you can take care of with one action, like a chore. It’s something that you should always be doing. “Being social” is not something we really think of as a commandment, but I really do believe that it is expected of us. Like with my visiting teaching experience, if I don’t know anyone, I won’t be available when they need help. We need to make ourselves available for the Lord’s use. We should strive to be a person that is universally known and trusted. In his April 2009 Conference talk, Dallin H. Oaks quotes a friend of his. He says, “Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church. No longer do I go to church for my sake, but to think of others. I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, … to volunteer for an assignment. …In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active, not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives. Consequently, my attendance at Church meetings is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.” Brothers and Sisters, as young single adults this is a great time of learning as we become adults and prepare to step into the leadership roles of the church. It is also, however, a great time of selfishness. I don’t mean this in a bad way. It’s completely natural, and to an extent we should be focused on ourselves. This is the only time in our lives that we get to focus on ourselves. However, if we can learn now, how to do what Elder Oaks’s friend learned later in life, imagine how we can affect the lives of our future families and the members of our future wards and branches. We can actually reach the goal that the Lord set for his people in D&C 58: 26-27. For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

Brothers and Sisters, let’s not get caught in the endless checklist. Let’s break through and strive to always be better and to be a little more like Christ, our savior and exemplar.