I Have a Work For Thee by Elder Pingree, Pg 32, November 2017 Ensign.
Everyone of us has a meaningful role to play in furthering Gods work. As the sisters read this statement, the question was asked, "What stood out to you as you read this?"
Some of the answers were:
- That we have a work to do.
- It is our choice. We helped plan with Heavenly Father what we would do here.
Do we always feel confident in what we are asked or called upon to do?
Sister Ward asked us to ponder on this and take time to write down what Heavenly Father has prepared you specifically to do. She then asked some of the sisters in attendance what they felt were some of the gifts that they had that Heavenly Father had given them.
Sister Freeze told of how she felt that she is a helper. In all of the jobs she has held she has been able to help other people.
Sister Kent said that as she read this statement, it made her think of her patriarchal blessing and the gifts that she is promised within it if she will live faithfully.
Sister Jensen talked about how she feels that she is here to help her husband in his calling giving support so that he can fulfill his service. We can help others, not only our spouses. We can help our children, neighbors, friends, and others in the ward in their callings to serve.
Some of us question whether Heavenly Father can use us to make important contributions. But remember, He has always used ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
Sister Ward talked about a time when she was in a ward where she felt so lonely. She remembered sitting in her driveway in her car. She prayed to Heavenly Father to help her have a friend. She had put her head on the steering wheel and just felt defeated. As she was sitting there, someone knocked on her car window and there was a sweet neighbor holding a plate of cookies. She told Tammy that she wanted to get to know her and be her friend. Tammy pointed out that sometimes Heavenly Father is already preparing someone to help us even before we ask. This sister couldn't have baked cookies after Tammy had prayed for a friend. She was already listening to the Spirit before and was able to answer a prayer.
President Russell M. Nelson explained: "The Lord has more in mind for you than you have in mind for yourself! You have been reserved and preserved for this time and place.
"The Lord needs you to change the world. As you accept and follow His will for you, you will find yourself accomplishing the impossible!"
How can we Focus on Others:
- First and foremost, we need to have a desire. Sometimes we will need to pray for the desire because it might be hard to do what we know He will want us to do.
- We need to follow the Spirit.
- We can pray to know who to help. We can express our desire to Heavenly Father and then listen so He can show us the next step to take.
We can approach decision points in our lives - like what to study, what to do for work, or where to live - in the context of helping others.
How can we Develop Spiritual Gifts:
- Do we have any?
- We can read our patriarchal blessings often.
- Ask those that know you the best. (This includes Heavenly Father. Who knows us better than He does?)
- Ponder the things that give you the greatest joy.
One of the sisters talked about how when developing and pondering on the gifts that we have we need to be like little children in that they enjoy who they are individually. They don't compare themselves. She works with special-needs children and she told of how happy they are just to be able to happy with other's and themselves.
Sister Ward asked, "How do we develop gifts if we don't know what they are?" She then talked about her grandmother. After Tammy's grandfather died, her grandmother moved to live closer to them and by doing this her grandmother was an example to her family. Tammy told of how her grandmother took up painting and what beautiful things she would paint. Her grandmother also learned how to play the piano and use the computer competently. Tammy said, "None of us are dead, so we can always learn and grow new talents."
Tammy asked Sister Charlene Earl how long it has taken her to learn to paint. Sister Earl said she had been painting for years. Through her constantly doing what she loved, she has developed a wonderful talent she can share with others.
As we discover our gifts, we have responsibility to develop them. Even Jesus Christ "received not of the fulness first, but [developed] from grace to grace.
How can we Make Use of Adversity?
- It was asked, "How have you used a challenge to help someone else?"
- On sister said, "We need to acknowledge the challenge, but then we need to move on and not dwell on the adversity.
- We need to look at the strength that we were given while going through the trial. We can then bless others and have empathy for what they are going through.
- We also should not be critical of other's and what we think they should be doing or that they should be handling their trials in a different way.
Like the Savior, whose atoning sacrifice enables Him to succor us, we can use knowledge gained from difficult experiences to lift, strengthen, and bless others.
How can we Rely on God:
The question was asked, "When have you had to rely on God?" Sometimes we feel that we cannot fulfill an assignment or calling that we have been given. If we ask Heavenly Father he will help us. In the words of President Thomas S Monson, " When we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to the Lord's help. Remember that whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." I think this also includes trials. The Lord will be there to help us through our trials, and then we can use our experience to help others.
How will the adversary try to stop us from fulfilling the Lords work?
At the same time God helps us fulfill divine assignments, the adversary works to distract and dissuade us from a life of meaning.
Sin is perhaps our greatest stumbling block, dulling our sensitivity to the Holy Ghost and restricting our access to spiritual power.
Satan will seek to distract us with less important matters. We need to ask ourselves, "Are we so preoccupied with worldly things that we are diverted from our divine assignments?"
Satan will try to discourage us or coax us to look at our work as less valuable than the work of others. But every assignment from God is important and we will find fulfillment as we "glory in that which the Lord hath commanded [us]."
Sister Wards challenge to us this week is to Pray and ponder on what our gifts are and how we can use them to help others.
