Selfless Service:
A Pattern for Joyful Living

By Marcus Southworth

Many years ago, Linda and Richard Eyre developed a successful curriculum and a program for parents and their pre-school age children. It is called, "Joy School". My wife and I used this curriculum with our own children. There are many wonderful ideas which they teach that I think about. It is now 30 years later, and I am still impressed with the idea that there are patterns for living that can improve our capacity to live joyfully. 

 

Some of my most treasured experiences are not characterized by great achievement, honor, financial success, or personal recognition. For me, they were often discovered by overcoming some great adversity or difficulty. On other occasions, these treasured experiences were found in serving others. In many instances, I could see a pattern to these joyful experiences. 

 

They seemed to be more frequent and discernable under certain circumstances than others. Living joyfully seems to help me to feel more connected with my Father in Heaven.  They serve as a reminder that he loves me and knows who I am. 

 

I take great satisfaction in knowing that my experiences are not exclusive but that they are available and can be enjoyed by all of Gods children. I have come to appreciate that God, as our Heavenly Father, touches all of us in special, and uniquely personal ways. Our sense of awareness that he is near becomes much more pronounced when we recognize and understand the patterns that are associated with our enjoyment.

Reflection and Gratitude:

As I reflect on some of these special, joyful experiences, I feel myself draw closer to my Heavenly Father. There are times in my life where I have felt overwhelmed with deep emotion as I recollect the circumstances and feelings that I had while living joyfully. In a way, they are now living inside of me, and I can bring them to the surface at will as if they were a bubbling, refreshing spring of joy. I am often filled with a deep sense of gratitude to my Heavenly Father through this process. 

Missionary Service-

I recall serving as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Venezuela. I was 19 years old when I left my home in Arizona to serve for two years. I experienced many things during these two years of dedicated service. The daily routine was rigorous, starting at 6am and ending well after 9pm. I lived on a modest budget of US$170-200 per month out of which I paid rent, utilities, food, and transportation. On that budget, I did not have many of the nice things that I was accustomed to when living at home. I was not allowed any personal relationships other than with my assigned missionary companion who was required to be with me at all times. No girlfriends, no TV, or music, this was all part of the disciplined life of an LDS missionary. I had to learn a new language and culture. Phone calls home were not practical and prohibited without specific approval from our Mission President. Even though I wrote home every week, mail would often become lost, and weeks would pass without any news from family. Under these circumstances, most would think that I was living in abject poverty, loneliness, and despair. However, I want it clear, that I still reflect on these two years as the most joyful of my entire life. I really don't ever remember feeling homesick or lonely while serving as a missionary. On the contrary, I felt wonderfully connected with heaven. I learned a lot about joyful living during that time. Since Venezuela, my life has been filled with many other wonderful, joyful experiences that ensued as a result of the things I learned there over 45 years ago.

I would like to share with you a couple of the many treasured memories of my service in Venezuela.  They now serve as a powerful, stabilizing rudder in my little boat that has been precariously sailing on this vast ocean of life:

Serving Others and Prayer-

I was living in Puerto la Cruz, a port city. Each day, I would walk with my companion dressed in white shirt and tie for many miles, knocking doors and speaking with people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. During the day, the sun shined and even during the evening the temperature was quite hot and humid. We were often rejected, but we persisted. After many hundreds of doors knocked, we found several people and their families who welcomed us into their homes during the few months that I served there. We taught some and prayed with them. On Sunday's, we would take them to Church meetings with a small group of local Church members. Several of these people were baptized and joined with other Church members. We saw their lives change in wonderful and positive ways. They would often tell us of their feelings of happiness because of the changes they had made. I remember becoming very close to them in the process, we loved them, and they loved us. 

 

One unforgettable night, I remember kneeling by my bedside after another long day filled with teaching people. My companion and I were both very tired. Yet, I remember feeling a great sense of joy as I knelt by my bedside. As a missionary, it is customary for my companion and I to pray many times each day.  But before retiring to our bed each night, we would privately kneel beside our beds to have a private personal prayer. On this particular occasion, I remember beginning my prayer to God with these words; "Dear Father in Heaven"... but the rest of the words would not come out of my mouth. I was so overcome with joy that I could not speak! I wept deeply and soulfully for some time.  I was filled with gratitude for being part of such a grand and wonderful program. I knew that God had sent me, and that I was part of his grand plan to reclaim some of his children and to bring them home. As I wept, I was filled to the brim with a sense of peace, knowing that at that very moment, I felt as if Christ himself was there in the room with me. I could feel his presence.  Finally, after my soul exhausted itself, in this humbled and bowed position, these words fell from my lips... "thank you"!!! 

To this day, it is the shortest, most meaningful prayer that I have ever uttered. I reflect on this occasion often. I learned then, that truly; "when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God." I have also learned that a reward from the hand of God is far more meaningful than any other. I learned many things on that night far from home.

God will send his Angels-

Another experience that I had while serving as a fulltime missionary illustrates this notion that joy comes by serving God and our fellow man. This time, I was living in the capital city of Caracas. My companion and I, like always, had worked hard that day teaching people and looking for lost sheep. We often characterized the people that we found and taught as "lost sheep" because of Christ's parable of the shepherd leaving his flock to find a stray lamb and how joyful he was when the lamb was found and brought back to the fold. We often felt led to people that were lost and trying to find their way back home. 

On this occasion, my companion and I made our way to an apartment building far from our own. It was getting late, and we thought that on our way home, we would visit Sister Gonzales, a very dedicated church member. She was always so diligent and anxious to help us. She would introduce us to her friends.  She would invite them to her home so that we could teach them. Earlier in the week, she had agreed to host a family at her home a few days hence.  We stopped by to coordinate the specifics with her. However, when we knocked on her apartment, someone else answered the door and quietly spoke saying that Sister Gonzales was very ill and in bed. We asked if we could come in and visit with her. After a couple of minutes, we were invited in and found her lying in bed with the lights low. She explained that she had the red measles, often dangerous for adults. Her fever was quite high, she was covered with a serious rash.  Her eyes were inflamed and sore. She strained to look at us through her swollen eyes. Measles can cause blindness they say, and she was taking precautions by keeping the lighting in her room dim. I remember seeing her incapacitated and very ill.  My heart went out to her. My companion and I felt an overwhelming sense of love for her at that moment. I asked, "Sister Gonzales, is there anything that we can do for you?”  “Can we give you a Priesthood Blessing?" She replied that her husband and another man from the church had given her a blessing the day before. I then asked, "can we pray for you?" She agreed and we knelt by her bedside and prayed for her. As we got up, we noticed that she was crying. We were a little embarrassed about it and quickly excused ourselves, promising that we would return to check up on her.

A couple of weeks passed. She recovered fine. At Church, she was called upon to speak in Sacrament Meeting and she shared this experience. “A couple of weeks ago, I was very ill. The missionaries showed up at my house. I could not greet them, but they insisted on coming into my bedroom and asked if they could pray for me." She said, "when they entered my room, I noticed that they were wearing white clothing. I wondered why they were dressed this way and thought that maybe they had a baptism that they were going to later that night.  They asked if they could pray for me. As they knelt beside my bed, I opened my eyes and saw a wonderful light around them as they prayed. As I mused over the scene, a good feeling came over me and I heard a voice soft and sweet saying that these are messengers, angels sent from God to minister to you." She explained that in a very personal way, she learned on that night that these missionaries were sent from God like angels from heaven to bless her and to pray for her.

There are Angels among us.

I reflected on this event many times throughout my life. I think that sometimes God chooses to bless his children by sending messengers to them. These messengers may show up at a time when we need them most to bless us or to help us. These messengers may do so unknowingly, compelled by some feeling inside that prompts them to our side. Nevertheless, on these important and memorable occasions, it is as if heaven itself has opened and God has his sent angels to be with us. I have been blessed this way on many occasions. I have counted these times as evidence that God lives, that he knows me, and that he hears my prayers and blesses me through chosen messengers.

I can also remember a few times when I responded to an inner voice, perhaps a heavenly prompting to check on someone, or to help someone in their time of need. These are joyful times, wonderful times! It is on these very personal occasions, where I feel blessed by simply acting on behalf of my Heavenly Father, and doing something that he wants me to do. It is wonderful to know that I am doing the right thing at the right time.  At these times, I feel that God smiles upon me for my willingness to serve. I am also encouraged that He would choose to answer someone else's prayer through someone like me. In this way, I feel part of his great plan.  He helps me to feel like a contributing member of his great work in lifting and blessing the lives of others.

There are many angels walking the earth today. Perhaps you are one of these that hears His call. Or perhaps, it is your prayer that is being answered through one of God's messengers. In either case, it is wonderful! It is a divine pattern from heaven designed to lift others, and by doing so, we are rewarded with access to greater joy in our lives.  

In Matthew 25:31-40  Christ illustrates the critical nature of this principle: 

31 ¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

I love my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for Him and the things that he teaches me. I am grateful to have learned something about this joyful pattern of selfless service. It has been a source of great joy for me throughout my life. I invite you to experiment with this idea. Begin by reflecting on times where you have served others. Do you remember how that felt? May this recollection inspire you to look for and cultivate this pattern of Joyful Living in your life. Our friends and family need us. God may choose us to be his fingers and toes in reaching out to them in their hour of need and it is my experience that our lives will be filled with great joy and happiness as we serve one another.