Daily Musings: Service: Filling our Lives With Positivity

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”-- Luke 6:38 (KJV)

Jesus Christ is obviously our finest example of service and selflessness. He often interrupted, or delayed, his schedule to heal people and work other miracles. He even healed on the Jewish Sabbath, which was hotly contested by some religious leaders. Here are two specific lessons on service from the Savior:

Service is how we help each other and ourselves. It benefits the giver as much as the receiver. (see Luke 6:38 above)
You can’t share the joy service brings. You have to do your own service. (The five wise virgins couldn’t share their oil in Matthew, chapter 25.)

What is Service?

Adults are prone to complicate issues, or to skirt around the truth. Kids, on the other hand, are brutally honest and simple. They notice everything, and they have deep feelings. They are what they are. Take them or leave them. They don’t sugarcoat anything.

Grown people may think service is only defined by grand projects. We might think helping others has to be an inconvenient commitment; a time-consuming sacrifice. Well, that’s not necessarily the case. Service can also be easy, quick acts that even the youngest, or least able, of us can accomplish:

Smiling
Giving thank-you notes
Using polite language
Offering compliments
Stopping to talk for a few minutes in a store

Have you Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud…Illustrated by David Messing

This children’s book is currently being taught to some young students. It’s part of a series of books, worksheets, and online videos that teach a straightforward, honest message. The story follows the teachings of Jesus, and it's relevant for everyone:

We all carry an invisible bucket. It can be filled only with good thoughts and feelings.

(-) Negativity takes bits and pieces out of the bucket.
(+) Positivity adds to the contents of the container.
We fill each other’s buckets by being loving and caring.
Individuals dip into each other’s buckets by being mean and cruel.
Nobody call fill their own container by dipping into someone else’s. (In real-life terms: a person can’t boost himself up by hurting someone else. That will eventually backfire.)
We can only fill up our buckets when we fill up someone else’s.
With every word or action, we either dip into, or fill up, others’ containers (and our own).