It’s not your typical bedtime routine.
Every night, like clockwork, two visitors show up at Kathy’s home. They greet her warmly. They plump her pillows. They pull off her slippers and plug in her wheelchair. Then they lift her into bed.
When Kathy developed multiple sclerosis, 50 friends, neighbors, and Church members banded together to take turns doing the things she could no longer do herself. Kathy figured it would last a few weeks. Years later, her visitors still arrive, night after night, to lift her.
Kathy isn’t the only one who has felt lifted by the experience. As one volunteer put it, “She has lifted me in so many ways.”
Everywhere He Went, He Lifted
When Jesus said to “love thy neighbor,” He didn’t mean simply to think nice thoughts about them, to like their Instagram posts, and to engage in friendly small talk at the grocery store now and then. Sure, those things are important. But there’s so much more to it.
To love others, He showed us, is to lift others.
Jesus spent His life “lift[ing] up the hands which hang down.” He gave hope to the hopeless and befriended the friendless. He cared for the sick and fed the hungry. He prayed for those who crucified Him, so selfless was His concern for others.
Everywhere Jesus went, crowds clamored for His time and attention. He never turned them away and said, “Sorry, I have more important things to do.”
When He saw someone who was down, He reached out a hand. He lifted up.
“His life was a legacy of love,” Thomas S. Monson has said. “The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted.”
Someone Needs You Today
That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? Loving others. And not just with our hearts but with our hands. Not just in word or in feeling but in deed. To love is to lift.
And though we’ve heard the call to “love one another” a million times already, we still need that reminder every day.
Because life isn’t easy for anyone. There are countless ways it can knock a person down. But if we follow Jesus’s example and lift one another back up, we can make this world a kinder, better place.
Today, we may be the ones standing strong and doing the heavy lifting. Tomorrow, we may be the ones who need the lift—and those we once lifted will lift us.
Lift Here (A Place to Start)
All the flowery talk and good intentions we can muster, though, won’t do any good unless they lead to action. Where do we start? How do we do a better job of following Jesus’s example and lifting others?
As usual, the answer is in the small things. They may not change the world in a day or in a lifetime. But they will move the needle in the right direction.
Be prayerful: Thoughts and prayers alone won’t do the heavy lifting. They’re a great place to start, though. God knows each one of His children’s needs. He also knows each of our unique personalities and abilities. If we ask, He will show us places where “in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see,” where we can do the most good. Ask, then act.
Be involved: Chances are there are several organizations in your community already dedicated to lifting the lives of others. Seek them out, and see how you can help. Resources such as JustServe.org can be a good jumping-off point.
Be present: Service projects and organized initiatives are great ways to make a difference. Yet most chances to love and lift others will come in quieter, less expected ways. We’ll notice them if we’re watching and listening. We would do well to remember that “those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve.” Let’s not get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own entertainment as we go about our days that we fail to notice small opportunities to lift along the way.
Be positive: We can remember that “choosing to say only that which is positive about—and to—others lifts and strengthens those around us.” There’s enough negativity in the world. Help tip the scales in the other direction by keeping interactions positive and loving, whether in person or online.
Be patient: As individuals we can do a lot of good for others, but we can’t do it all—and definitely not in a day. Instead of feeling guilty for all the things we feel like we should be doing to help but aren’t, let’s focus on the few things we can do today. The question to ask is “Have I done any good in the world today?”—not “all the good.”
Love Will Lift Us Higher
We are surrounded by people who desperately need someone to lift them. Some may be friends. Some may be strangers. All are our brothers and sisters.
So let’s try a little harder. Let’s reach out a little farther. Let’s lift a little higher. They are depending on us. God is depending on us, for “we are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children.”
Our individual efforts may seem small—a kind act here, a selfless sacrifice there—but collectively our small efforts can make a big difference in the lives of others. And in the end, those who spend their lives lifting others will themselves be “lifted up at the last day.”
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