Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps

I talked yesterday about the need for preparation of our hearts and minds for service experiences.

Elder Henry B. Eyring said: “You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands.” (Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to Your Call," Ensign Nov. 2002, 7)

We need to remove our thoughts and focus from our own needs and trials and place them on the needs of those around us. This task requires us to reach within, to put our lives and hearts in order with the teaching of Christ and invite the Spirit to guide our hands and feet for good.

This connection with the Holy Ghost is our key to discipleship. When we let it prompt us, we may find that the schedule we had in mind for the day, or the words we might have said in passing to a friend, aren’t what the Lord has in mind for us and them. With out that inspirational connection, how would we know the difference?

Consider the instructions Christ gave His disciples:

And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 3 Nephi 13:25

While this may seem harsh council from the Savior, it’s a challenge with a blessing for the faithful. Christ needed to make it perfectly clear to His disciples that other’s needs were to be placed above their own. Their first responsibility was to service and their fellow man. How often, in our own ways, do we think about what we will eat, (and then what we’ve eaten too much of) how we should spend our time or whether or not the pants we want to buy flatter us or are a good bargain when the Spirit has been trying to whisper, “Stop. Look there. Do you see where I need you to send your love?” What have we missed because we have been looking inward at our own selves, cares, and desires rather than reaching inward to tap our divine nature for goodness and love?

Service, ministering to others, is doing God’s work in His way. It is holy and sacred. The Bible Dictionary states, “The work of the ministry is to do the work of the Lord on the earth—to represent the Lord among the people . . . The chosen servants and appointed officers in the Church of Jesus Christ are put on earth by him to conduct the work necessary for the salvation of mankind.”

“As we seek to emulate the Savior, we should remember that our personal ministering of others is more than what we do to and for them. It is about who we are and are becoming. Acquiring the attributes to minister or to nurture is part of the eternal process of becoming like Christ, which happens as we develop pure motives for our service and then act upon them. . . . At times, we can become distracted by a whole list of good pursuits, but the bottom line is that the essential divine instruction we have received is to minister to the needs of others. . . . The impressions I receive are that simplification and flexibility allow for more personal ministry.” (Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society General President)

Many of us feel we haven’t the time for a true commitment to service, but we will find that if we keep focused on the Spirit, there are many opportunities to serve that “fit” with who we are. Granted, there will also be opportunities that require us to stretch beyond who we think we are. Those are the sweetest of all.

Remember, look inward to the Spirit and you will be able to reach out in service.

If I had to think today about what matters most to the Lord about our time here on earth, three things come to mind.

1. The relationship we develop with our Savior
2. The relationship we develop with our family
3. The relationship we develop with our fellow man (otherwise known as: service)

For me at least, everything that Heavenly Father indicates He wants for me in this life are wrapped up in these three things. Yes, there are many more specific instructions that may not appear to be included in these three, but I’d bet the relationship is there whether it’s easily seen or not.

To this end He has provided us with specific instructions for each of these areas. I’m grateful for the proclamations on the Family and the Living Christ. In addition to the scriptures, these offer a great amount of insight into the first two areas.

But what about service? Why do I place that on my list above anything else? Well, as I’ve been thinking about it, I’ve remembered the many times in the scriptures that the Lord has emphasized helping and caring for others. Service was the entire focus of the Savior’s earthly ministry. Service matters to the Savior, it is what He requires His disciples to be eagerly engaged in and focused on.

When I think about accounting for my time here on earth, I think that there are a lot of things I may have been good at: like obeying the word of wisdom, or attending my meetings, but I think the first thing Heavenly Father will want to know is, “how have you treated My children?” Like any kind and concerned parent, His children are His first priority. We see that in the way He loves and cares for us. We should see that He holds each of His children with the same regard. Will it matter if we never got a speeding ticket or cheated on our taxes if we didn’t reach out to those around us? I don’t think how well we conquer the other commandments can make up for ignoring our fellow man in the process.

For the member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Chieko N. Okazaki states, “our real calling to be a compassionate Christian came when we stepped out of the waters of baptism.” (Chieko N. Okazaki- Rejoice in Every Good Thing)

That holds true for every individual who wishes to be a disciple of Christ. The moment we make that resolution and turn our lives over to His hands, each one of us is promising to serve Him, and our neighbor, as He sees fit.

That’s not to say it’s an easy thing to do. Service takes preparation. We each need to practice taking the focus off of ourselves and placing it on the Lord and the Spirit. When we do this we are able to find out what the Lord would have us do. This process of drawing away from ourselves and closer to the Savior is what opens our hearts and minds to who we can reach out to and how.

Mother Teresa said, “I’m a little pencil in the hands of God. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything—and it’s really hard—sometimes it’s a broken pencil. He has to sharpen it a little more. But be a little instrument in His hands so that He can use you anytime, anywhere. … We have only to say Yes to Him.” (“Love: A Fruit Always in Season,” Daily Meditations, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1987, p. 243.)

Most of you have probably heard of the Daffodil Principle. Originally written by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards, it’s been around for more than ten years as a source of inspiration for those who want to make something beautiful of their lives. If you know anything about it, you probably know that the message is based around the principles of one day, one step at a time. Aside from this obvious message, what would the Lord have His disciples learn from such a story?

The actual daffodil garden is located in the San Bernardino mountain range. Tucked back in this humble spot are five acres of daffodils in many colors. This entire area was planted by just one woman, Gene Bauer, but think of the many thousands of people her field has blessed.

That’s the first principle this field offers. We have to stop and look. Sometimes the most beautiful things in the world, the best blessings from the Savior are tucked away in every day things we don’t notice. Sometimes they’re out of the way in places that seem difficult to reach. No matter where we find them, when we look the goodness and mercy of the Savior will overwhelm our spiritual eyes with peace, beauty and goodness.

The daffodil story goes on with more to the message than just the flowers themselves. This one woman left an important statement outside of her nearby home to give the curious passer-by answers they may not have known they even wanted when stopping to admire her field.

Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking

50,000 bulbs
One at a time
By one woman
2 hands, 2 feet
And very little brain
Began in 1958

Now, let’s think about those statements for a minute. I talked recently about the principle of feeding 5,000 people. Did it seem overwhelming to think about your self providing 5,000 acts of service during your life time? Yet, here is a woman who knew how anything is done. One thing at a time. She may have started with a vision of unending fields of flowers, but she also gave herself permission. For what?
To dream of that field.
To have faith that she could make it happen.
To allow herself the time that would be needed to see it through.

Many of us hold righteous desires within our hearts that we have not given ourselves permission to explore. They seem to big, to different, to much outside of our comfort zone, so we keep them firmly tucked away instead of realizing that those desires come from the spirit of Christ and His love that we carry inside of ourselves. It is our desire to become like Him that plants those seeds within our minds and hearts. But to many of us, we feel the field is just too big and our time and efforts are just too inadequate. The Savior would have us know that this is not so!

All He asks of us is exactly what Gene Bauer gave: 50,000 gifts of love given one at a time, by one woman with her own hands and feet, with more heart than the world’s logic, and time to let her efforts grow. She began and saw it through. So can we.

Now, this field of flowers is not all the same. Not only was it planted over the course of many years, but it was planted with many different colors and varieties. One disciple’s efforts will not be in the same year, or color as another’s, but it is our bulb and our season to plant it. With the Lord’s help and love, every bulb will be beautiful.

There is one more thing to note on the subject of the Daffodil Principle. In 1999 fire destroyed Ms. Bauer’s home, the surrounding lawns, flowers and trees. It did not, however, destroy her field of daffodils. Have there been wildfires sweeping through your own life lately? What have you done with your bulbs of service as you waited out the storm? Don’t draw them back into yourself. Even when your own life seems overwhelming, as a disciple of Christ your hands are still His. He needs them to help and bless others so that the way will be opened for Him to help you as well.

Don’t stop planting. You still have work to do. Then, know that even as everything else around you seems to be destroyed, your life and the fruits of your righteous labors are still under His protection. Even when your life is over, the flowers and seeds of the gospel that you plant everywhere you go will continue to bloom and inspire more of God’s children.

50,000 seeds of goodness.
One disciple.
Offering two hands and two feet to the service of God.
With as much faith as I can muster.
Starting today.

John chapter 6 opens with the Savior and His disciples on a mountain, or a place of sacredness, perhaps for personal meditation or to prepare for the coming Passover. Christ did have trials and sorrows in His mortal life. Though he was always the perfect example of Heavenly Father’s ways, the world around Him was not. He just chose to focus on righteousness rather than the trials, part of this was noticing and placing the needs of others above His own. For any of us, that’s not an easy thing to do. There were plenty of difficult things going on in the Savior’s life that He might have needed to ponder and pray about, but at some point Christ looked up and acknowledged the crowd that had followed Him.

Let’s look at what the Savior did when He saw the multitude in this account. He noticed their hunger and asked His disciples how their needs could be filled. He asked if there were traditional or expected solutions to the problem, partly to recognize this as a first step and partly to make sure those around Him acknowledged the absence of normal means to solve the problem. When there was not a way for them to feed themselves He provided divine intervention. He took what seemed a meager offering and fed the five thousand. When it was done He gathered what was left so that nothing would be lost. There was an abundance left over to gather.

There are two lessons here for the disciple.

The first is the role of the Savior in our lives. He sees our needs. He asks us to look for the normal and reasonable ways to help ourselves, but He doesn’t leave us alone when these options prove insufficient. At that point His divine intervention is always available. He takes the little we have to offer and turns it into more than enough to fill our needs. His grace and love is unlimited. There will always be more than enough. He’ll never run out of ability and ways to help us if we offer up our part and accept His offering in return. He has more than 5000 ways to succor up His disciples.

The second is our role in following His example. Because we serve and follow Him, our priority is helping and serving our fellow man in His name. We follow the same pattern as the Savior. First, we notice others more than ourselves. Second we look for normal and available means of helping the person or allowing them to help themselves. When this is not an option, we take our meager offering, the little bit we can do for them, and offer it to the Lord to magnify. Then, there will be more than enough for all. Lastly, we notice what has been accomplished and gather those blessings to us so that nothing is lost and we are sustained until the next time we can be of service.

Just as the Savior’s capacity to love and serve us knows no bounds, this is the attitude we are trying to develop. Start a service record or journal, how long will it take you to provide 5000 acts of service and what do you think will be left when you and those you associate with have been filled? Perhaps more importantly, how long will it take before you’ve recorded 5000 ways the Savior has blessed you?

I ran across a beautiful article by Thomas S. Monson the other day entitled “Three Goals to Guide You”. Though the address was first given to a group of women, I think its message sets the tone for anyone who wants to serve the Lord as His disciple to the best of our ability every day of our lives. President Monson gives the advice that often there are only three main goals we need to work toward in order to be the best people that we can be.

1. Study diligently.

2. Pray earnestly.

3. Serve willingly.

First, study. What does the disciple study? The most obvious answer is the scriptures. Christ has said,

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39

When we read the scriptures we hear the Lord’s voice, we understand his words so that when they speak to our heart they can penetrate deep. We read, hear, and understand. We learn the will of the Lord and grow in testimony and love for Him. The scriptures are the best foundation for our faith in a world that wants to eat away at anything spiritual. They are a sure guide to paths of faithfulness and the best defense against evil. Scripture study is not a light reading once a week, it is meant to be a diligent pursuit for something we truly desire. We should search the scriptures with the same fervency that we would look for our lost car keys when late for an appointment. They are our life preserver in a world drowning with sin and pain.

Along with the scriptures, explore other good and powerful works. Gain an education and knowledge of the best things the world has to offer. These are placed here for the growth and benefit of God’s children that we could celebrate our lives, talents and differences that we have been blessed with for our experience here on earth.

Second, pray. Once we have come to understand the language of God and can feel His words in your heart from the scriptures. Open the line of communication even further by connecting on an even more personal manner.

“Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing.” D&C 19:38

Express every need, fear, and joy. He will share in your life through your prayers and give you personal direction and support when you listen for His spirit during your communications with Him.

Lastly, serve willingly. Does it have to be big and dramatic? Usually not. Consider the ways of the Savior. Yes, there were many significant and highly visible acts and there will be times when we are placed in significant situations where our service will be extremely great. But just as often during the Savior’s mortal ministry it was something small and personal. There were many times when He told someone to go and tell no one. Many times when He noticed what everyone else in the crowd had overlooked. Many times He understood a person’s heart when the world could not. These are the things that marked His greatness in my eyes and often what He most requires of us as His disciples. As His hands of service in the lives we come in contact with He wants us to notice the little things. The man in the tree, left on the outskirts. The woman who needs someone to notice the soul behind her tears. He needs our eyes and ears and most of all our hearts. He needs our willingness to express our love for Him in ways others can understand and learn from.

Three simple, but soul expanding goals for the disciple of Christ.

It may seem like a strange goal in life, but I want to fade into the background. I’m not one who honestly enjoys being in the public eye, on the other hand I love watching my work make someone happy. My favorite place to be is in the background, quietly finding all the little things I can to do help the project along, whatever it may be. That’s my favorite place in the gospel as well.

There is a song I was introduced to many years ago that talks about becoming someone who reflected God’s love so well that those around couldn’t see beyond the glow. It was an honest prayer to live a life that testifies of Christ and draws people to Him. That’s the life I want. I want to be the person in the scriptures who only has one line, but provides a little bit of help or knowledge that leads to greater things. I want to be the man who offered his upper room for Passover; the same upper room that would see Christ administer the sacrament for the first time. Or, the one who offered his tomb. I want to be Rhoda, who happily announces the presence of a prophet whether she is believed or not. Or Lydia, who worshiped God with an open heart. I admire Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy. Eunice’s letter to her son Timothy contains some of the most quoted scriptures among disciples of Jesus Christ. Though they bring us great faith and courage, we often associate them with the prophet Timothy, not his mother. What are these famous words?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, . . . 2 Timothy 1:7-8

These are the types of people I admire. I want to be that quiet force for good, the one who gives the council no one really remembers where it came from, but pass on to others around them. I want those around me to truly see Christ in me. I want to radiate His goodness and my love for Him. I don’t mind staying out of the limelight, because that’s where I can do the most good as a disciple of Christ.

The desire of a disciple’s heart is to be of service, to express love for the Savior in every aspect of our lives. That role is not the same for everyone, but each undertaking is an important part of His gospel. Find your role, the place where Christ most needs you to be. Whether great or small, embrace the tasks God gives you and let Him work through you. Take the council of Eunice to heart and let God’s power, love and thoughts work through you as you proudly share a testimony of the Savior. Try fading into the background and letting Christ have the starring role.

I don’t know about you, but as a parent I have selective hearing. I’ve honed my ability to tune out whining and minimal bickering as well as pleas for candy in the grocery store. I’m normally very easily distracted, so even on other tasks I’ve trained myself to stay very focused or the job will go undone.

But, in this process it becomes very easy to just stop noticing things at all. There have been many times I’ve walked down the halls at church or even in the grocery store and not even noticed that someone said high or smiled at me until they’re long gone and the message finally makes it through all my carefully placed filters. Though I have perfected the ability to screen input, I haven’t perfected it as well as the Savior did. For Him it did not matter how busy He was or what the task at hand was, when there was a need, He saw it.

I need to be a little more like that at times. With so much sorrow, hurt and pain in the world perhaps I’m screening out more than I should be. I’m missing opportunities to ease those burdens that I run across on my path of life.

Though there are many things of the world I don’t need to concern myself with, but my fellow man will never be one of them. I need to become more aware, to open my eyes and ears more often and do my best to spread a little more joy and praise than I do now. I should never become so focused on my own life or goals that I don’t see someone smiling at me and not smile back. I should structure my life and time so that I can be the one to share the first smile more than I am now.

As a line from a children’s movie puts it, the disciple’s goal should be to “See a need. Fill a need.”