Remember Him through Service

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

One cold, wintry morning the Miske family was awakened early by their neighbors. The neighbors, sixteen elderly patients from a nearby nursing home, were without water because their water pump had broken. The Miskes shared the water from their well all day—until the well went dry that evening. Sister Miske then purchased eighteen four-liter containers of purified water and asked other Latter-day Saint neighbors to help. They gathered sixteen large water containers and filled them at the local meetinghouse. Three sisters did the patients’ necessary laundry; one sister spent nine hours washing and drying sheets.

For three days, Sister Miske transported more than a ton of water in snowy weather, with temperatures often near the freezing mark. After three and a half days, a new pump was installed at the nursing home, and things there returned to normal.

But things were not normal for the Miske family; their own well remained dry. Members of the nursing home’s staff were more than happy to help the Miskes. The nursing home provided the family with water until spring, when the well began to flow again.

During his earthly ministry, the Savior commanded us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. (See Matt. 22:36–39.) An essential part of obeying these two “great commandments” is rendering Christlike service.

But opportunities to serve others are rarely convenient. Though some forms of service can be scheduled and performed upon assignment—when we “have enough time” to do so—much of the service we might give cannot be planned; it requires immediate, spontaneous, and—at times—prolonged attention.

The service we render need not be large or involved. Each day, as we interact with family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers—even strangers—we can perform thoughtful acts that show our sensitivity to and our love for all of our Heavenly Father’s children.

The Lord also commanded his disciples to “love one another; as I have loved you.” (John 13:34–35; see also John 15:12–17; 2 Jn. 1:5; D&C 88:123; Moses 7:33.) He expects us to love and serve one another, just as he did. (See Mosiah 2:17–18.) Whether the service is on a large or a small scale, as our capacity to serve grows, so does our capacity to love.

On the subject of service, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, “We must surely realize that there can be no true worship of Him who is the Christ without giving of ourselves. …

“If we give such service, our days will be filled with joy and gladness. More important, they will be consecrated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the blessing of all whose lives we touch” (Tambuli, August 1987, pages 5–6).

Suggestions for Visiting Teachers

Consider some of the barriers to our loving and serving more abundantly. Discuss some ways we can overcome them.
Share—or have the sister you visit share—how an act of selfless service made a difference in your own or someone else’s life.

Illustrated by Beth Whittaker