You Just Got Served!

As I've been on my mission, I've thought a lot about how I can be the best missionary I am capable of becoming.  A ton of ideas fly through my head each day of how I can improve.  In my opinion, it all boils down to service.  While on my mission, I devote 2 whole years to serving the Lord in whatever way he asks.  It's the least I can do to repay him for everything that he's blessed me with.

The service that I'm doing is helping more than just the people I serve.  It helps me every day.  King Benjamin, a righteous king in the Book of Mormon, explains the important of service in Mosiah 5:13, which reads, " For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"  From this scripture we find that service can help us as well. 

If we live our lives only thinking of ourselves, then we won't know too much about the people around us.  We'll be too busy tending to our own needs to take them, or their feelings, into consideration.  This scripture applies to our Heavenly Father as well.  How can we know him and what he wants for us if we never serve him?  The servant must serve the master to be able to better know the master's will. 

Jesus Christ himself said, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:34).  If we lose our life in the service of God, we will find it.  I am a witness of that.  As I've been on my mission, I've discovered things about myself that I would've never known if I would have passed up this opportunity.  The things learned and the experiences gained will benefit me the rest of my life.  The same can happen to you if you put that scripture to use.  There's no end to the blessings that will come because of it. 

Sinks Canyon

If you've never been to Sinks Canyon, I highly recommend it.  It's such a cool sight to see.  Especially in the winter time because the water is frozen over.  We were able to walk across the frozen rapids and explore some of the caves around there.  We armed ourselves with flashlights so we would be able to see and hopefully get some pretty cool views.  There was one particular cave that we went into that was way sweet, but let me tell you this experience that I had there. 

There is absolutely no way we could travel in those caves safely without light.  Even sometimes with a flashlight, it can be tough to do.  Think of the cave as our journey through life.  Okay.  So we're all trying to make it through life.  If we have a light with us we can see fairly well as to where we're headed, but life can still be tough, even with light.  Sometimes we can misstep, but regardless, the light makes it easier for us to travel. 

While I was making my way to the exit of the cave, I bumped into a rock and my flashlight shut off.  This caused a short moment of panic and an impulse action.  I tried to move forward after the light had suddenly shut off, and I felt the consequences of that by slipping and scraping my hand.  Without light, we can still travel through the cave, but we have to try many different courses of action.  Most of the time, if we don't have the light to guide us, we choose the wrong one, or in this case, misstep.  Those are the times when we make choices that we wouldn't usually make; the times when we can't clearly see the right path. 

We have access to that light all of the time.  It's through Jesus Christ and his Atonement.  If we repent and allow him to heal our scrapes, then we can finish the journey through the cave of life.  There's no other way except through him.  "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  (John 8:12).  He can, and wants to light the way for us.  It's up to us to let him into our lives.  Then once we have received his light, we can "let [our] light so shine before men" (Matt. 5:16).  May we always strive to have his light with us at all times, in all things, and in all places.