So I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting today, juggling Coleman on my lap with one hand and scrambling around in my scriptures with the other. It was the time of sacrament meeting where reverence is important and I usually spend it trying to keep my kids from being rowdy. Well, today I wanted to actually block out the world for a little bit and put a little drop of oil in my ever-drying lamp. So to get on with my story I was turning the pages in my scriptures looking for a scripture that might inspire me and I turned to James 1:27 which reads:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
I read the verse, it is one of my favorites, and the first point really stuck out to me--Pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. I thought about it for a little while and then moved on to another scripture which was Hebrews 12:12:
"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees."
Hmmmm was I seeing a message here? Was the Lord trying to tell me something about my lackluster attempts at serving my fellowmen? Well, as that thought entered my mind it was immediately confirmed. I really have a testimony of service and it's role in drawing us closer to our Heavenly Father. As I type this I'm reminded of the story told about a statue of the Savior.
Shortly after the culmination of World War II, a devastated
city in England began it's heartbreaking and wearying
work of restoration. In the old city square had
stood a large statue of Jesus Christ with his hands outspread
in an attitude of invitation. On the pedestal were
carved the words "Come unto me."
In the process of the restoration of the statue with the aid
of master artist and sculptors, the figure was eventually
reassembled except for the hands of which no fragments
could be discovered anywhere in the surrounding rubble.
Someone made the suggestion that the artist would have
to fashion new hands since the former hands could not be
found.
Later came a public protest, couched in the words NO,
Leave Him without hands! So, today in the square of
that English city the restored statue of Christ stands
without hands and on the base of it are carved the words,
"Christ has no hands, but ours!"
I love that story because it is so true! We are His tools in bringing about His purposes. When the Lord wants something done He sends one of us! I know this--so why am I so terrible at serving my fellowmen? At lifting the hands that do hang down and the feeble knees?
Well, sitting there in sacrament meeting I felt ashamed of myself. Ashamed of not putting myself out there to be an answer to someone's prayer. Ashamed of my inability to hear the Lord's call at times when it has come. In those few minutes, I can say that I was sufficiently humbled :) I AM the Lord's hands! So today, I sit with a new resolve to be the hands that the Lord needs--to see the needs of those around me and be there to lift up and enlighten. I pray the Lord will increase my courage and my ablility to hear Him when He beckons.
As a sidenote, the rest of the meeting entailed some talks by a couple of sr returned missionaries who served in the London England Temple. I was reminded of another important way in giving service by attending the temple--something I must also improve on! I'm definitely a work in progress! And yeah, you wanna guess the closing song? "Because I have been given much". Sometimes I think the Lord must feel like He has to hit me over the head to get my attention! And I think I've got the bump to prove it!
