At the branch picnic Nicole asked me about the salad I brought. She wanted the recipe. I didn't follow one. I just made it up with what I had on hand. She said, "Oh, you're a cook like my mother-in-law. She puts in a little of this and a little of that and it turns out great." Well, after 45 years of reading recipes, trying new things, and practicing cooking, I enjoy making up my own recipes once in a while.
After many decades of having a recipe for ministering, formerly called Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching, we now (for the past five years) have to pretty much make up our own recipes. There are no measured requirements to complete, no standardized message each month, no one size fits all method of ministering to each other.
That can be intimidating at times. But we are not left without guidance or master cooks to follow.
When this "higher, holier" way of ministering was announced in 2018 an impression came to my mind that this was going to lead us to Zion.
What is Zion? And why is that important? Zion is several things, but what I thought about was not a place, but a people. A Zion people is of one heart and one mind. It took me a long time to figure out that the heart and mind we're supposed to be one with is Jesus's heart and mind. He said, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." When He returns He needs a people to come to, with whom He can dwell, where there is unity, love, and righteousness.
So how does ministering accomplish that? Let's look at some examples from the past.
Think of the Israelites leaving Egypt to go to the Promised Land. They began with urgency, leaving slavery behind, and desiring to live a life of liberty in a Promised Land. But they murmured every step of the way. They complained about the lack of food, lack of water, the labor of travel, etc. They wanted to go back to Egypt where things weren't so bad after all. They were disobedient and contentious. Because of their stubbornness the Lord cursed them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years so that all the faithless complainers would die off before ever getting to the promised land.
Now think of the early saints in this dispensation traveling to their Promised Land. Faith and obedience brought about miracles. They too faced hunger, thirst, fatigue, boredom, bad weather, balky animals, accidents, sickness, death, and every other kind of trial known to humans, yet they reached the Salt Lake valley in a timely manner and built up their Promised Land.
What does this have to do with ministering? Like the pioneers crossing the American plains we are on a mortal journey to the Promised Land of Heaven. Sometimes we're out in front, leading the way, sometimes we're in the middle of the pack, in the thick of things, sometimes we're the stragglers at the back of the group. No one, absolutely no one, goes through mortal life without trials, or joys. To get there we must have faith, lend a hand to each other, encourage each other, bear each other's burdens, comfort each other, rejoice with each other, and journey side by side until we pass over to the other side.
I hope this help us understand the why of ministering.
Let's learn about the how.
During the summer of 2018, after the announcement in General Conference about Ministering, Steve and I were in Boulder, Colorado over a Sunday and attended church at a local ward. Apparently, the week before had been their stake conference because all of the talks were about the challenge the stake president had given to read the Book of Mormon and mark all the passages that had anything to do with ministering. I thought to myself, I can do that. I found surprising things throughout.
Almost 100 places where impressions of the Spirit said this is about ministering. I organized them into 13 different categories. First is Do it, Exercise Faith, like Nephi saying he would "go and do the things which the Lord commanded," knowing "that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." And when Nephi returned to Jerusalem to retrieve the Brass Plates, "not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do."
There are examples of Praying for them, and Praying about them; the largest category on my list is Speak, Teach, and Testify. Sometimes an encouraging word, or a testimony is what is needed to help someone along. We are to Be an Example, Be Forgiving, Serve them, Study, Attend the temple, Care about them, Listen for Promptings, Meet them where they are, and maybe most important at all times, Be Persistent.
I highly recommend studying the scriptures as a way to get personal revelation for our efforts in ministering.
In the church magazine for Adults, The Liahona, formerly The Ensign, every month since June 2018 there has been a section called Ministering Principles. These principles are scripture based and the articles give suggestions for putting them into practice. July's topic is Ministering with Charity, and August's topic is Ministering through Service. Past topics include things like Facing Our Goliaths, Ministering with Mental Health in Mind, Ministering through General Conference, Ministering through Church Activities, How the Spirit Can and Will Help you Minister, and Getting Help to Help Others.
Lest we get discouraged and feel like we're always at the back of the wagon train, think of the Parable of the Laborers. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a householder, who goes out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. They agree on a wage, and he sends them off to work. He goes out again three hours later and sees others standing idle in the marketplace, and says to them "Why are you standing here idle?" They answer, "Because no one has hired us". So, he says, "Go to the vineyard and whatever is right, I'll pay you." And the householder goes out again every three hours and does the same thing. And then at the last hour of the day he goes out and finds others standing around idle and negotiates the same deal with them.
When the day is finished he has the steward call all the laborers to give them their wages. Everyone received the same wage no matter when they started! Wouldn't you like to work for that employer?
I have good news, we do!
It doesn't matter if you are a 7th generation saint, or the newest convert, our employer, The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, offers us all the same reward for helping in His work.
So, begin where we are! It is possible to repent and change. We can obey the commandments, keep our covenants, spiritually put one foot in front of the other and keep progressing. This journey is not a race where only the fastest and first is rewarded; we ALL will be rewarded for faithfully finishing the journey. Ministering is helping each other toward the finish line.
But, we might think, I just don't have the knowledge or skill or talent that Sister so and so has, or Brother what's his name has. They just seem to be a natural at serving others.
Jesus addressed this fear or excuse too, in the Parable of the Talents. He said that the Kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, and before he leaves calling his servants together and giving them his goods. To one he gave five, to another two, and to another, one talent, each according to their ability. Then the man left. While he was gone the servant who had received five talents traded and made five more talents; the one who was given two, did the same and doubled his.
But the servant who had received one was afraid of losing it and buried it for safekeeping.
When the master returned he called for an accounting of what he had given the servants.
The ones who had been given five and two showed their increased talents and were rewarded when the master said to them, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
Then came the third servant. He explained himself saying, "Lord, I know that you are a strict man, reaping where you haven't sown, and gathering where you haven't spread. And I was afraid and hid your talent in the earth, here it is." The master answered him saying, "You wicked and slothful servant, you knew what I'm capable of, reaping where I haven't sown, etc., you should have at least put my money with the investors and I could have had my money along with the interest earned." Then the master commanded that the talent be taken from this servant and given to the one who began with five, saying, "For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."
The moral of the story is that when we do our part, the Lord will multiply our efforts, he will give us more capability. If we don't, what little we do have will be taken from us. Ministering enlarges our abilities to strengthen our eternal church family and build Zion.
Sister Jean B. Bingham, then Relief Society General President, said, "Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to 'count' as serving our neighbors. . . . But what did the Savior do? . . . " Besides completing the Atonement, surely the most profound act of service ever performed, ". . . He also smiled at, talked with, walked with, listened to, made time for, encouraged, taught, fed, and forgave."
If you're like me you get overwhelmed thinking about what the Savior, with His superior Godly powers, did and does. I just can't compete in that league.
Sister Bingham shares some more ideas about what us mere mortals can do:
[Ministering] looks like going for a walk, getting together for a game night, offering service, or even serving together. It looks like visiting in person or talking on the phone, or chatting online, or texting. It looks like delivering a birthday card and cheering at a soccer game. It looks like sharing a scripture or quote from a conference talk that would be meaningful to that individual. It looks like discussing a gospel question and sharing a testimony to bring clarity and peace. It looks like becoming part of someone's life and caring about him or her.
As we study the scriptures and with the Spirit's help we can make up our ministering recipes as we go. There is no one thing that is right for everyone either to give or to receive. We can ask the person what he or she needs, as well as be led by the Spirit.
One of my all-time favorite authors is Jan Karon who wrote a series of books about an Episcopal priest named Timothy Kavanaugh. He is such an encouraging example of how to minister. He is so human and flawed. He has weaknesses and human foibles just like the rest of us. Some things are particularly distasteful or hard for him. But he trusts in God and prays for strength and help to know what to do and how to do it. During the months that I studied ministering in The Book of Mormon, I also reread the first of these books and made a list of all the ways Timothy served and ministered to those around him. Here are just some of them:
He slowed down (to notice things more)
He prayed
He studied the scriptures
He invited people into his home and fed them
He visited the sick in the hospital (I remember my grandma doing that a lot!)
He prayed, right then, with the person in need
He fed people spiritually with encouraging words
He arranged for a worker, which benefited an elderly woman and a young man
He took an 11 year old boy on an outing to a farm
He took food to a homeless man
He prayed for people by name
He gave cash to someone in need
He gave thoughtful little gifts
He prayed with his friend about a serious matter
He invited his neighbors to church
He called to check on his friend recovering from pneumonia
He visited a man in prison
He rescued a neighbor's cat off the roof
When it comes to ministering, there are few limits and enough variety for everyone to find something to do.
During their last evening together, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, in an act of humble service and demonstration of love. Then He said, "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. . . . If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." He went on to speak to them about love:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have love you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. . . .If ye love me, keep my commandments. . . . He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him. . . . But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. . . . As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you, continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. . . . This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. . . . These things I command you, that ye love one another.
A few final thoughts. Every giver of service needs a receiver of that service. Being a gracious receiver blesses the giver. Not all service rendered will be to our liking. If we are asked, we can express our preferences, if we aren't asked we can be gracious and grateful for the efforts of another. I apologize if anyone was hurt because we didn't want any meals brought in when we lost James. I really needed the daily routine of making food and cleaning up so I wouldn't dissolve into a puddle of grief and self-pity. I'm so grateful for all the prayers that sustained us, and the kind, loving expressions of comfort through our sorrow. Those and hugs were the most helpful. I'm grateful for Stephanie being willing to come over and help me weed part of my garden as therapy for my grieving heart.
Steve and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary in June, and in all those years we have rarely lived near family, relying on church members to be our family--to celebrate with, to mourn with, to work with, to play with. We call each other brother and sister. Perhaps it would help us to do better at ministering if we actually thought of each other as true family. Wouldn't we make time to visit family? Serve them? Rejoice with them, and recreate with them? I truly believe this is preparing us for life after the Savior returns when we live in peace and love.
Let us all gird up our loins, fresh courage take to press forward in preparation for the Savior's Second Coming.
I testify that God the Father lives and loves us; He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Example. I testify that They both appeared to Joseph Smith to begin the restoration of all things as promised in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's authorized church on earth. We continue to be led by a living prophet, Russell M. Nelson, who has invited us to minister and love each in a higher, holier way. I pray that we all can do so.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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