"Find someone who is having a
hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something
for him or her." Dozens and dozens of Primaries
challenged the children to provide service, and
then those acts of service were recorded and sent to me.
An 11-year-old girl wrote:
"There was a family in my ward that did not have
a lot of money. They have three little girls. The mom and dad had
to go somewhere, so I offered to watch
the three girls.
The dad was just about
to hand me a $5 bill. I said, 'I can't take [it].'
My service was that I watched the girls for free." May the words of a familiar
hymn penetrate our very souls and find lodgment in
our hearts: "Have I done any good in
the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad
and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed. Has anyone's burden
been lighter today because I was willing to share? Have the sick and weary
been helped on their way? When they needed my
help was I there?" My brothers and sisters, we
are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our
encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness--be
they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord's hands
here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve
and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.