All in all the evening was lots of fun - dinner, dessert, a few musical numbers and a service auction. I did, however, make the mistake of sitting next to the RS Stake Presidency.... they were all very nice ladies and I enjoyed chatting with them... but, I just figure its better if they don't know who I am. Haha!
I had actually taken a Spanish class with one of them and we spent the whole night trying to figure out where we knew each other from. It was quite funny!
Anyway... here's my talk...
Enrichment Night – March 26th -
Recognizing the eternal worth of others
While doing my research for this, I found a great article on the church website, that is actually a lesson from one of the manuals, called The Worth of a Soul. It gave me some great ideas and some excellent quotes as well.
First, I want to start with the fact that I think recognizing the eternal worth of others starts with recognizing your own eternal worth. “Each of us is a unique and special creation. Each of us has a physical body that is unique in size, shape, color and [even] facial features. Likewise each of us has a unique set of attributes, talents, interests, skills and abilities.”
We each need to recognize and value our own eternal worth. Don’t beat yourself up for not doing everything perfectly, not looking perfect, not being the perfect mother, wife, or friend… just do the best that you can and be happy with who you are, knowing that you are a child of God.
Now… with that complete… let’s focus on recognizing the eternal worth of others.
Concern for the welfare of others is one of the most important ways of demonstrating a love for our fellow man, but also shows we recognize them as a child of god as well.
Christ knows the worth of each and every soul. He is concerned about each and every one of us. He preached to the poor, as well as, healing the lame and the broken-hearted. He healed the blind and ate with the sinners. He taught us the worth of each person in the parables of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Perhaps most importantly, he taught us to “love they neighbor as thyself.”
So…. how can we love our neighbors? How can we learn to be more Christ-like in how we treat others?
N Eldon Tanner said: “It seems we can always find what we are looking for in another person.” I think this is so true... if you look for a fault, you will find it. If you simply look for the positive, I believe you will find that too.
If we truly value the worth of others, we will look for their strong points, and treat them with love and kindness. There are so many ways that we can show this love. I think one of the best is through service. Service to others can take many forms… It can be simple…
1) Smile at a stranger and tell them to have a good day
2) Hold the door for a mother pushing a stroller
3) Buy dinner for the family next to you in a restaurant
4) Say hello to a neighbor you pass on the street
5) Inquire about a friend’s family or sick relative
6) Send a thank you note to someone who did something nice for you
Of course, there are much larger service projects you could get involved with, if you so choose.
- Help plan a fundraiser for a local charity.
- Participate in, volunteer at, or help plan a cancer walk, asthma walk, heart walk, etc.
- Donate money or supplies to a local shelter (animal or people)
I really could literally go on for hours but, I will just share an example that I found in an article by President Monson from the November issue of the Ensign –
He writes, “I learned recently of loving service given to a mother when her children were very young. Frequently she would be up in the middle of the night tending to the needs of her little ones. Often her friend, and neighbor from across the street, would come over the next day and say, “I saw your lights on in the middle of the night and figured you were up with the kids. Why don’t I take them to my house for a couple of hours while you take a nap?”
The grateful Mother explained further to President Monson by saying, “I was so thankful for her generous offer that is wasn’t until after it had happened several times that I realized if she had seen my lights on, she must have been up with one of her children as well. She probably needed the nap as much as I did.” Perhaps more.
From the example set by this giving mother, friend and neighbor we can all learn a valuable lesson – be aware of those around you. Whether it be a friend, family member, neighbor, or complete stranger… opportunities to serve are waiting whichever direction we turn.
I just want to close with one final thought from President Monson - “The desire to lift, the willingness to help, and the graciousness to give come from a heart filled with love.”
1 comment:
That was a very good talk.
Good Job!
I wish I had been in the audience to weep over it.
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