Why Do We Serve?
Dr. Debi Gilmore, LMFT
No matter where we live in the world, and no matter our status in society, acts of compassionate service can be found. During the most devastating disasters, people from all walks of life feel compelled to gather in the center of the devastation to lift souls and help bring people back to safety and comforts of normalcy. The motivation to serve comes naturally for some, and yet for others it requires tasting of the experience before they realize the benefits and rewards that cannot be measured temporally.
I would like to consider two questions:
Why is it important to serve? What are the benefits, not only to those we serve, but to the servants of those in need?
What motivates our acts of service? In other words, would we serve differently if our motivation was to please the Lord because of our service?
Question #1: Why is it important to serve? Let’s begin with the first question: Why is it important to serve, and are there benefits to the servant? Years ago, I had the chance to meet the First Lady of Guatemala, Wendy de Berger. I was working with a microlending humanitarian organization, and our annual gala was honoring her for her endless efforts to serve the less fortunate in her country.
I asked her what it was like when her husband was elected President of Guatemala, and what she decided would be her platform and cause throughout his presidency. She said, “When my husband took office, I felt a strong impression to be concerned about the health of the mothers in my country.” She explained that these mothers spent endless hours each week, walking mile after mile to find clean water for their families. When they reached the common well of water, they could only gather enough that they could carry back to their village. One bowl of water for the family to wash their hands for the week, and another urn of water for cooking and drinking for the week.
The time they spent walking to the water well was concerning to Mrs. de Berger because it was time sacrificed away from being able to nurture their children. She was so deeply concerned that she gathered a team of experts to develop and build a system to bring the water to the villages. She believed that if she could help the mothers care for their children, the result would be stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger county. The key to stability in her country was strong families.
Why did Mrs. de Berger feel so strongly the importance of empowering the women in her country? She said, “The woman is the center of the family. Through her, we can reach the children and the youth. She is the axis of change, not only in the family but in the community.” Every moment I spent with this incredible woman was inspiring! There was a very special spirit with her. Her service was unselfish and driven from a place deep in her heart.
Serving God and others seems to be of utmost importance to the Lord. The scriptures provide multiple examples of the Savior lifting others from their depths of sorrow and pain. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:5 the Lord commands us to “… succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” In Deuteronomy 11:13 it says, “I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
When we make the decision to be baptized and take upon ourselves the name of the Savior, we accept the covenant and obligation to serve others. It is a part of the package of being able to accept and keep all sacred covenants that lead us back to our heavenly home. When we are baptized, we are agreeing to serve as instruments in the Lord’s hands.
When we consider the process of service, we typically imagine labor of some kind using our hands as a part of the work. In the case of humanitarian efforts, service most often requires our hands, our muscles, our physical strength and stamina, and our willingness to offer the resources of our physical bodies. These acts of service are noble and fully acceptable to the Lord.
The scriptures teach that the Lord not only takes note of the actions of our service, but He also looks to our thoughts and the intent of our hearts. The prophet Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to choose and anoint one of the sons of Jesse as a new king for Israel. The Lord told him to reject the first son, even though he was “of fine appearance,” and fit all the criteria of an impressive outward symbol of royalty. In 1 Samuel 16:7 we read:
“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the hearth.”
It is useful to pause and ponder on the following question: As we are participating in acts of service and if the Lord looks at our hearts, would He see humility, compassion, and empathy? Would He find intense desire to lift souls from their suffering?
In my profession, one of the most important aspects of healing and processing is to invite the person seeking help to describe their inner emotions. It is interesting to note that often when they are asked where they feel their emotion, they point to their heart. They don’t point to their arm, their leg, or other parts of their body. They almost exclusively point to their heart, and sometimes might say, “My heart aches…”
When describing our love or affection for someone in our lives we often point to our heart. This seems to be a natural and instinctual response to deep and consuming emotion. In a BYU address, Elder Donald Hallstrom said:
“The heart is symbolic of love and commitment. Love is the most powerful motivator of all. We will make sacrifices and bear burdens for those we love that we would not endure for any other reason—not for money, not for recognition, not for power. If love does not exist, our commitment will surely wane” (Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, BYU Idaho Devotional, Spring 2005, The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind.)
This phenomenon brings us back to what the Savior described to the lawyer as the greatest commandment in the law:
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 25:35-40)
If we love the Lord with all our heart, we experience and expand to a full willingness to give Him everything we possess. This includes our will and involves consistently cultivating a willing mind, heart, and soul. When we can bring our hearts to this state, we are able to give our best effort and our finest thinking in seeking God’s wisdom as to whom and how we should serve.
FOUR MOTIVATIONS FOR SERVICEReason #1: Hope for an Earthly Reward
In his October 1984 General Conference Talk, Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of his concern that some serve to elevate themselves, rather than seeking to build the kingdom of God.
“In these latter days, we are commanded to seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. Unfortunately, not all who accomplish works under that heading are really intending to build up Zion or strengthen the faith of the people of God.”
The scriptures priestcraft to be gospel service that is done for the sake of riches and honor. In Nephi 26:9, Nephi said, ““Priestcrafts are, that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.”
All humans have a universal need to feel accepted and to have a sense of belonging. When this need goes unaddressed for long periods of time, some may seek to fill that void with acts of service that will elevate their status, or ensure the respect and admiration they so desire.
In 3 Nephi 13:2 the Savior spoke about the danger of doing good deeds in order to be seen and praised. He said:
“I would that ye should do alms for the poor, but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.”
The Savior is teaching that this type of service brings temporary rewards, but those who seek to serve God will find glory in the eternities and experience rewards beyond earthly standards. The Savior went on to teach us to serve quietly, and even in secret. He taught that when we are able to embrace this attitude of selfless and unseen service we are qualified for the promise that “… thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Reason #2: To Gain Companionship
Some people love the experience of serving alongside their friends and loved ones. In my years of serving within the community with the focus on humanitarian aid, I have had rich experiences serving with dear friends and associates. Sometimes I have served with women I didn’t know, but who became lifelong friends. Many of those with whom I have served are famous in their own right. Many were world renowned and celebrated for their various talents, political success, and corporate power. For a moment, it is exhilarating the mingle and mix with these people whom I otherwise would never have met. Many of the powerful, selfless, and righteous individuals with whom I have served have taught me principles and values I would never have learned otherwise. The friendships and associations with these amazing individuals have never faded away.
However, if service is only motivated by the opportunity to mingle with socially prominent individuals, this is not complete and in the Lord’s way. Elder Dallin H. Oaks told of a man who was active in Church service until a socially prominent friend and fellow worker moved away. He suggested that “Persons who serve only to obtain good companionship are more selective in choosing their friends than the Master was in choosing his servants and associates.”
“Jesus called most of his servants from those in humble circumstances. And he was associated with sinners. He answered critics of such association by saying, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick” (October 1984 General Conference talk titled, “Why Do We Serve.”)
When service is motivated solely to find companionship or societal status, the rewards are temporary and often fragile. The service comes from a surface level and is not motivated from the deepest part of a person’s heart and soul. Most importantly, the service is not focused on glorifying God and building His kingdom.
Reason #3: Hope of an Eternal Reward
A token economy is a system of systematic reinforcement of desired behavior. The reinforcement of good behaviors comes in the form of praise, temporal gifts or rewards, etc. Token economies emphasize the use of positive reinforcement to target behavior change. Token economies help individuals to visualize progress, accept and work for delayed reinforcement, learn to self-monitor, and learn to regulate behavior.
Similarly, our Father in Heaven has established a plan of happiness in which He promises that if we will keep our covenants and strive to know and be like Him, the fruits of our labors include glory and eternal life with Him and each other. This expectation of enjoying the fruits of our labors is a powerful source of motivation. This involves deep faith in God and His plan of Salvation. Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 states:
“If you keep my commandments (in this case the commandment to serve) and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
This hope of an eternal reward is entirely proper and acceptable in the eyes of our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. However, this motivation is not considered the highest and most righteous motivation.
Reason #4: Charity
The highest motivation and reason for serving others is charity, which we learn is the pure love of Christ. In Moroni 7:45 we read:
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things”
The Apostle Paul affirmed and illustrated the power of charity in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
During the bombing of a city in World War II, in Strasbourg, France, a large statue of Jesus Christ with arms reaching out was severely damaged. The entire city was destroyed by bombings, but this statue of the Savior was a beloved symbol of peace and hope for the people of the village. The townspeople mourned because it had served as a constant reminder of their faith and God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands were so broken and damaged they could not be fixed. The people pondered on what to do, and ultimately prepared and posted a sign they placed at the base of the statute. The sign says: “You are my hands.”
In May of 2010, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
“When I think of the Savior, I often picture him with his hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless and love. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation. This is exactly what the Savior would be doing if He were living among us today. This is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of His Church.”
If we allow ourselves to consider the implications of this sign, we might be filled with awe at the idea that we could be a powerful instrument in the hands of the Savior. Something miraculous happens inside us when we serve with hearts full of charity. Our spirits grow stronger, we become happier, we feel more peace, and we are more open to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
This motivation for service is a higher law of charity. However, we cannot fully embrace the principle of charity without seeking the help and inspiration of our Father in Heaven. We must specifically ask for our hearts to be changed. Moroni 7:48 states:
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which He hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of His son Jesus Christ.”
This is to suggest that if we prepare to serve by praying for the companionship of the Holy Spirit, our hearts will be softened… changed, and we will serve with a light and strength we could not have achieved on our own. Service combined with the pure motivation to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul is the single most powerful way to pave our path to eternal life with God. Doctrine and Covenants 88:67-68 says:
“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
“Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.”
If we embrace this scriptural passage with faith, we recognize that as we come to know and serve God, the veil will be lifted, and we will witness His face. We are promised greater and brighter light of comprehension, wisdom, clarity, and direction, all of which we so desperately need in order to navigate the rough waters and challenges of earthly life on our journey and quest to return to our heavenly home.
I bear witness of the Savior’s love for us, and His desire for us to follow Him and to become like Him, so that we can one day realize all the eternal rewards our Heavenly Father longs for us to receive.
(Previously presented for Foxhill Ward, November 15th, 2015)
