Part 5: Part of Something Bigger Than Self

 

            My original plan for this book was to focus more on the emotional recovery side of my journey. I didn’t expect to spend as much time writing about spiritual topics. However, I am a believer in Jesus and that ends up permeating a person’s whole life. I’m so grateful that it does!  This is the part of the book where I glory in “my Jesus” and how He has blessed my life. My visiting journey taught me how to reach out to others more like He would. My experience in college and at Institute enlarged my perspective and helped me understand new ways of approaching relationships and the circumstances in my life. This section focuses on family history, temple work, and continued gospel learning – which has given me a glimpse of how all-encompassing Heavenly Father’s plan is for each of us, His children. .

            Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet of my childhood. I once read a biography of his wife, Camilla, when I stayed with my paternal grandparents while my parents were on a trip to the Holy Land. That book is on my shelf today and it is one of the only items I have that remind me of my grandma. Just before my third birthday, Spencer W. Kimball taught, “It is by serving that we learn how to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves. In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus, that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves. (See Matthew 10:39.) Not only do we ‘find’ ourselves in terms of acknowledging guidance in our lives, but the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls…. it is easier to ‘find’ ourselves because there is so much more of us to find! ... Of course, we all need to be loved, but we must be giving and not always receiving if we want to have wholeness in our lives and a reinforced sense of purpose…. Wherever we serve and whomever we serve, however, it is important for us to get outside ourselves and to be genuinely interested in others” (“Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, Dec. 1974).

            He continues, “Sometimes the solution is not to change our circumstance, but to change our attitude about that circumstance; difficulties are often opportunities for service….If we are not careful, we can be injured by the frostbite of frustration; we can be frozen in place by the chill of unmet expectations. To avoid this we must—just as we would with arctic coldness—keep moving, keep serving, and keep reaching out, so that our own immobility does not become our chief danger…. There is great security in spirituality, and we cannot have spirituality without service! So often, however, what we need by way of encouragement… to serve others is to simply be stirred in our memory by the Spirit concerning the things we already know, rather than receiving new inspiration and revelation. … The Holy Ghost stirs our memory as well as our understanding. We must then do what we already know is right—the simple things, the straightforward things, and the specific things….so that we can have the influence of the Holy Ghost and have his constant companionship to guide us, to direct us. His guidance is far more important than the learning of techniques, although these can be helpful…. If you were to select just two or three individuals in your life who have been most influential, what specifically did they do that was helpful to you at critical or important times in your life?  On reflecting for a few moments, you (may) conclude that such a person really cared for you, that he or she took time for you, or that he or she taught you something you needed to know…. Most often someone has served and helped us by giving us love and understanding, by taking time to assist us, and by showing us the way through the light of their own example. I cannot stress enough, therefore, the importance of our doing these same things for those who now depend upon us, just as we have depended upon others to serve us in the past… If we focus on simple principles and simple acts of service, we will… find ourselves becoming less concerned with our organizational identity and more concerned with our true and ultimate identity as a son or daughter of our Father in heaven and helping others to achieve the same sense of belonging.” (“Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, Dec. 1974). Being willing and able to serve each other without assignments is the beginning of a unified, Christlike community. It is the essence of ministering. It something I try to work toward every day, with varied success.

            He concluded, “In this connection, we must never lose sight of Jesus Christ as our grand example. Jesus said in his instructions to the Nephite disciples: ‘Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. …’(3 Nephi 18:24.)… One of the advantages of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it gives us perspective about the people on this planet, including ourselves, so that we can see the things that truly matter and avoid getting caught up in the multiplicity of lesser causes that vie for the attention of mankind….  (“Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, Dec. 1974).