No Less Serviceable

On a cloudy Sunday not long ago, the thought “What have I done in my life?” went through my mind. I think at different points in our lives we all ask this question. However, on this day, it made me a little depressed. I looked at my life and thought “Actually, I haven’t really done anything.”

Before these thoughts could drag me down and turn my day from good to bad, I was nudged to go find the next General Conference talk to study and write about. The first address of the October 2023 General Conference was the one I needed.

Elder David A. Bednar states in “In the Path of Their Duty” that, “You who today are pressing forward in the path of your duty are the strength of the Savior’s restored Church.” When I read that part, I knew that I needed to study, learn, and write.

The World’s Success

Looking at my question through the world’s lens, the following factors would show that I had “done something in my life.”

1. A successful career
2. Wealth
3. Fame
4. Celebrity
5. Power

The list could go on but the point is that these would be tangible, earthly measures. These measures could also be used to compare myself to others around me. Comparison is a two-edged sword that can lead to pride or despair. You can feel better than others, or you can feel below them. Rarely will you feel like you are equal.

God’s Success and Measures

There is a better way to measure. God’s way. In Elder Bednar’s address, he remarks on a conference talk given by President J. Reuben Clark in 1947. President Clark was discussing the Latter-day Saints who crossed the frontier from Winter Quarters to the Great Salt Lake. He specifically mentioned those of the “last wagon” who were not the leaders but humble followers exercising their faith. Elder Bednar states, “[President Clark] praised these anonymous and uncelebrated heroes who, day after day, week after week, and month after month, choked on the dust stirred by all of the wagons rolling in front of them – and who overcame the relentless obstacles they encountered along the way.”

Let us ask, “What did those of the last wagon do with their lives?” The answer would be that they lived the gospel of Jesus Christ. The life that would lead them to eternal life and the blessings of God.

However, we are mortals and want to feel we are accomplishing something. Elder Bednar discusses a message given by President Howard W. Hunter wherein “a message about the indispensable contributions of countless Church members who serve diligently and faithfully and who receive little or no public acknowledgment or acclaim” was discussed.

This describes the grand majority of, not just members of the church, but everyone worldwide. We don’t get public acknowledgment for the little things we do. We aren’t put in the spotlight because we perform our tasks and serve others. We don’t make the news, talk shows, podcasts, or any other thing lauding our accomplishments. But, does that make us any less serviceable to God?

Quoting President Hunter, “If you feel that much of what you do this year or in the years to come does not make you very famous, take heart. Most of the best people who ever lived weren’t very famous either. Serve, grow, faithfully and quietly.”

That message was exactly what I needed to hear on that cloudy Sunday. I realized that fame and fortune, the world’s measures, were not how I should be measuring my life. Instead, I need to look at how I’m doing according to God’s desires. Am I living and keeping the covenants I’ve made? Am I living a life of service? Do I share the gospel with my family and testify of God and Christ to my children? Do I love my neighbors and serve them?

Those are the measures of life we should be looking at. A sense of value comes from knowing that you are following God and doing His work. Elder Bednar promises that if we do these things, “[our] personal anguish will be relieved and [our] obedience and faithfulness to patiently submit [our] will to God will be rewarded in ‘the own due time of the Lord’ [(1 Nephi 10:3)]”.

In Alma 48:19, Mormon, in his abridgment, observes “Helaman and his brethren” that they “were no less serviceable unto the people than was [Captain] Moroni.” Helaman wasn’t the most famous of the Nephite warriors. However, Helaman was doing work that helped lead the Nephites to success in their war with the Lamanites.

I have come to realize that, in God’s view, I am no less serviceable than those in more public leadership positions. I am needed here, where I live, in my community. I am asked to serve and live according to God’s measures and, in so doing, will be blessed.

Conclusion

What have I done in my life? Instead of looking at the world’s measure of success, I look to God’s measure. I have accepted the gospel and made sacred covenants which I keep. I serve when asked by God. I share the gospel with my family, and when the opportunity arises, with others. I develop a love of all mankind and view them as God does. I pray that in so doing I am “laying the foundation of a great work” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33). A work that will bless my posterity and help God in His “work and glory” bringing “to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).