In April of 2018, the prophet (Russell M. Nelson) of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that the Lord wanted us to increase our focus on serving as He would if He were here. The term used to refer to this type of Christlike service is ministering. Previously, we had been asked to visit the homes of specific people in the ward and deliver a message once a month. Ministering, however, requires that we seek inspiration as to how we can meet the needs of those individuals and families over which we are given stewardship. Furthermore, it applies to everyone within our reach - not just assigned families and individuals. The opportunities to be an instrument in the Lord's hands are limitless.
Over the last year and a half, I have tried hard to measure up to the Lord's expectaitons and serve others as He would. I must admit that in the past, sometimes I got lost in thinking that I had to be doing something grandiose in order to serve the Lord's children who surround me each day. This shift to ministering has taught me the important lesson that small and simple things really do bring about great things.
One of my favorite things to do is go on walks with my kids around our neighborhood. This particular walk is a mile-long loop with multiple hills. Typically, my son will choose to ride his bike when we go on these walks. Going down the hills is easy and fun for him; going up, however, is a different story.
Sometimes he can make it to the top of the hill on his own. Other times, he needs my help to make it to the top. I have learned that in order to help him get to the top of a hill, I don't need to exert an exhorbitant amount of energy. I don't need to push or pull with all my might. Rather, all I need to do is put my hand on his shoulder and walk beside him as he pedals. When I do this, there is hardly any extra effort involved on my part. The extra help that comes just from having my hand on his shoulder as I walk beside him makes it possible for him to get to the top of each hill.
I have come to learn that ministering is very similar to this scenario. There may be times when the Lord calls on us to carry someone to the top of a hill. More often than not, though, all we need to do place our hand on their shoulder and walk beside them. That added strength and power will help them get to the top of whatever hill they are climbing.
There is a reason that the Lord uses small and simple means to do a great work; it is because it is doable and because it is effective. I know that as we follow His pattern of using small and simple means, we will truly see great things brought to pass.
