Service- A Gift to Others

Spring is upon us with the beauty of the green grass starting to show, the colorful flowers are starting to bloom, and the cool rain showers are leaving the familiar scent in the air that reminds us why we love springtime so much. It is a time of renewal, a time of new life, and it also a time to serve others. Easter has been a time for us to think of our Savior and the gifts that he freely gave us of resurrection and of the atonement. These gifts Jesus gave us are eternal and will last forever. We too must give and freely serve those around us especially during this time of year.

In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 2:17 we read: And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.


And in Matthew 25:40 in the Bible we read: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.

As we serve others, we are not only serving them, but we are also serving God. If we are to truly be happy and want to show our gratitude for the gifts he has given us, we need to serve others.

Here are some ideas of service that we could do for our neighbors, our family, and anyone around us:

Clean the House: A lot of service can be done in our own homes. Too often we think of a service project as being a large project or one done away from our homes. We need to take time to help those in our own homes and serve them and show them that we truly care about them. A great way to serve is to pick a few extra things to do each week cleaning the house that you normally do not do. Try vacuuming the floors, sweeping the floors, wiping the counters, doing the dishes, dusting the furniture. Get in the habit of doing these extra things each week and enjoy the feelings of the spirit of love and giving while helping your mother or wife. This will make a huge difference in your own life and in the ones you are helping.

Help your neighbor with yard work: We all have neighbors and many of us have neighbors that may have various reasons why they may not be able to keep their yard up during the spring and summer. Take the opportunity to help them right now to prepare their yard for the summer. Help them pull weeds, till their soil, rake debris from their flowerbeds and lawn, prune trees, and anything that they might need. Let them know that you love them and that you want to lend a hand once a month or however often you are able. Your relationship with this neighbor will increase and the joy you gain from serving will motivate you to serve others.

Clean a local park or empty lot area: In each city we live in, we may notice areas that are overgrown with weeds and bushes. Old houses or empty lots, or even parks may suffer due to lack of city funds to support grounds keeping or many places or just abandoned. Call your local city office and ask them regarding a particular place if you have something in mind, or ask them if there is a place that they are aware of that could use some yard cleaning. Get your local church group together or your scout group or even just your family and spend a Saturday afternoon pulling weeds, trimming bushes, painting, digging, moving and making a place that once was an “eye sore” become a place of beauty. You will enjoy the time working with each other knowing that you are making a difference and are serving your community. You will find that your love of where you live will increase in knowing that you are an important part of your town.

Conduct a service auction: Hold an activity in your church group or club and invite members of your church, neighbors, and relatives, and have a service auction. Each person in your group or club will have an idea or 2 in mind for service to give to others. Everyone writes down on a slip of paper the service they would like to donate such as babysitting, a hair cute, pulling weeds, making dinner, etc. Then everyone plays a game to earn points—the games can vary from getting to know you to trivia etc. Each person uses their points to “purchase” a service item from the auction. The service auction is lots of fun because everyone is able to give and get something.

Service is important for our individual growth. Even calling someone on the phone or sending a card could brighten someone’s day. Look for acts of service you can do each day to bring Springtime to your soul.