Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

This was the theme of my relief society lesson. 

The last lesson I gave was completely scripted.  Word for word for word.  It was awful.  This is not how I normally speak.  I usually like a few bullet points for prompters and then my mouth runneth over from there.  The inherent risks of said bambling, tangents.  Tangents which seem to distract from the spirit.  I thought then complete scripting might be my solution.  That was the last time I will prepare a talk so that it could be given by someone else if I happen to get run over by a runaway go kart on my way to church.  I hated it.  I sat down and felt like I missed the boat.

Bookmarks I made for the sisters

Today was a different experience.  I woke up this morning with media helps, notes, handouts and "fluff" for the table but without any direction on how to connect the dots.  I had decided upon a video I wanted to share quite some time ago.  Then I choose a song (we just listened, I didn't like the music video) to accompany the message.  Andy thought the song might be a little too rock and rollish, I liked that it was upbeat, that maybe service was fun, not work.  I also visited lds.org to get some material from the prophets on the subject.  Research doesn't get any easier.

I wanted my focus to be on doing good in our everyday journey.  To make a conscious effort to look for the needs of others, especially within our family.

I felt so unprepared, yet prepared so I yielded to a deep hope that the Spirit would direct me when I began.  The tears were flowing by the end of the meeting.  I felt the spirit and I know others did as well.

I now feel an overwhelming sense of relief.  The pressure has been eliminated and I was spiritually fed.  The giant blessing which comes from preparing a message.  I began with 8 pages of awesome stories and quotes and ended with 2 to share with the sisters, eliminating stories and messages I loved that time wouldn't allow.

Some of my favorite thoughts (please note, none of the following were my thoughts, all were copied from lds.org):

L. Tom Perry shared this in regards to "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today."  "There is a familiar hymn I would like to have you adopt as a theme song.  I would like to have you sing it each morning as you arise to lift the hearts and spirits of your family. Whistle it as you go down the street on your way to work to remind you that the path you take will be a cleaner, happier place because you passed that way. Hum it in your shops or offices to encourage all around you to make a greater contribution. Meditate on it as you retire and kneel in prayer of thanksgiving for the opportunities you have had that day to make the world a better place."

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.  What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace

An article written by Jack McConnell, MD tells how he grew up in the hills of southwest Virginia i as one of seven children of a Methodist minister and a stay-at-home mother. Their circumstances were very humble. He recounted that during his childhood, every day as the family sat around the dinner table, his father would ask each one in turn, “And what did you do for someone today?”   The children were determined to do a good turn every day so they could report to their father that they had helped someone. Dr. McConnell calls this exercise his father’s most valuable legacy, for that expectation and those words inspired him and his siblings to help others throughout their lives. As they grew and matured, their motivation for providing service changed to an inner desire to help others.

We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.

President Monson shares "Many years ago I heard a poem which has stayed with me, by which I have tried to guide my life. It’s one of my favorites:

I have wept in the night

For the shortness of sight

That to somebody’s need made me blind;

But I never have yet

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind."

I ended the lesson with my testimony and this challenge:

"May we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we “[cheer] up the sad and [make] someone feel glad.” May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”"