Thinking, pondering, agan...

Why do you serve?

I am doing a sharing time about service and while pondering the meaning behind service and sacrifice I have asked myself why do I serve? What is the reason? Do I serve everyone or just the people I am "assigned" or like? Are my motives pure? It took a lot of inspecting to see and I think I have narrowed it down to one feeling and experience.

During my school years I did service so I could write it down on a resume or scholarship paper. Honestly, everything I did was so I could write it down. That when I applied to BYU they would see I was a well-rounded individual. Someone that would be an ideal candidate.

After I graduated I floundered. When we moved to Logan for Matt's graduate degrees I became part of a great student ward. The RS Presidency had a goal that month to have every sister visit taught. Which wasn't that far off, since they were having a pretty high percentage of success.

During the president message in RS our president announced that only one sister hadn't been visited. Huh. Since I hadn't been visited since I arrived 3 months ago, well that must be me I thought. I remember the RS president saying that she wishes she could just take that person and hug her and let her know that she cared about her. That she felt so bad that she was the only one who hadn't been visited. But her time was taken up by her children, so she could not of visited her.

During the lesson I really didn't know what to think. At first I didn't care. I laughed. But then I couldn't let something go. This person lived about 100 feet from me and she couldn't honestly stop by for 2 seconds? Really? Or even talked to me after church sometime about it?

I felt bad. I felt unimportant. My worth somehow was diminished. I really didn't like this feeling. I then said, well if I am ever in a RS presidency I will work my hardest to make sure no one feels this way. It's important. Should watch what I say because about 2 months later I was called to serve in one.

But I think that is why I serve. Because no one deserves to feel unimportant. Forgotten. And I am trying to apply that everyone I know. I'm better at remembering dates with certain people but my good old friends like Trenton, Diana, and Christina I tend to forget because I think that we are good friends and they understand. They know that I care. I need to do better.

Why do you serve? What motivates you?