Sunday, August 21, 2016

Thomas S. Monson on caring for one another

President Thomas S. Monson (born August 21 1927 - 89 years ago today!) was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1963.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency with Presidents Benson, Hunter, and Hinckley until becoming Church president in 2008.
"I am confident it is the intention of each member of the Church to serve and to help those in need. At baptism we covenanted to 'bear one another's burdens, that they may be light' (Mosiah 18:8). How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you've left it for others to help, feeling that 'oh, surely someone will take care of that need.'
"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....
"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."
- Thomas S. Monson, "What Have I Done for Someone Today?", Ensign, Nov 2009, pp. 84-87
Click here to read the full talk

How easy it is in "the busyness of our lives" to forget "the things that matter most" as we're caught up in the "things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things." The things that seem so important and urgent in short-term perspective, often disappear in the broader long-term view.

President Monson reminds us of a principle that has been core to his life: the importance of loving one another, and showing that love through our acts of service and caring. The needs, the opportunities, are all around us!



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