Caring for those In Need
In
last week’s general conference, President Eyring spoke about how he fasted and
prayed to know how he could “obey the commandment to care for those in need.” He said that he found out on a Saturday
morning that Tropical Cyclone Pam had caused great damage in Vanuatu. Thinking about those in need on the island
and how Church leaders would reach out to help them, he said, “I knew what the
Lord would be doing through His servants. I knew that what made it possible for
them to succor those children of Heavenly Father was fast offerings.”
I was really intrigued by what he told us that he did because of his concern for the people of Vanuatu: “So I didn’t wait for Sunday. I took a fast offering to my bishop that morning.... My small offering may not be needed near where my family and I live, but the local surplus could reach even as far as Vanuatu.” I think this teaches us an important lesson about how we can and should help those in need. Sometimes our attitude about trying to help the poor can be similar to Andrew’s when the 5000 needed food: “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). In other words, if we can only help a tiny portion of the people who need it, why go to the effort at all? Mother Teresa, whose selfless service among the poor in India is so well known, said that some people had criticized her along the same lines: “They say our service is only a drop in the bucket—that we do not make a difference.” President Eyring acknowledged this fact that we cannot help most of those in need, but his example confirmed that we can still do something. He said, “There are more hungry, homeless, and lonely children of Heavenly Father than we can possibly reach. And the numbers grow ever farther from our reach. So the Lord has given us something that we each can do.” That something of course is fasting and fast offerings, and he showed that he could respond to his desire to help the people of Vanuatu by seeking out his Bishop to give him fast offerings. I’m impressed that he didn’t wait until Sunday—he went immediately to give his offering to the Bishop on a Saturday after he found out about Vanuatu, even though I’m sure he knew that the money would not be immediately put to use. So what do we do when we feel that there is too much need around the world for us to make any difference in the lives of the poor? We still do something, and that can be as simple as fasting and donating an offering to our Bishop. I think President Eyring’s example shows us that it’s not about the size of our offering or even the impact of our offering that is most important; what matters is that we are trying to “obey the commandment to care for those in need” and that we offer up a sacrifice of what we can. As Edward Everett Hale apparently said, “I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
I was really intrigued by what he told us that he did because of his concern for the people of Vanuatu: “So I didn’t wait for Sunday. I took a fast offering to my bishop that morning.... My small offering may not be needed near where my family and I live, but the local surplus could reach even as far as Vanuatu.” I think this teaches us an important lesson about how we can and should help those in need. Sometimes our attitude about trying to help the poor can be similar to Andrew’s when the 5000 needed food: “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). In other words, if we can only help a tiny portion of the people who need it, why go to the effort at all? Mother Teresa, whose selfless service among the poor in India is so well known, said that some people had criticized her along the same lines: “They say our service is only a drop in the bucket—that we do not make a difference.” President Eyring acknowledged this fact that we cannot help most of those in need, but his example confirmed that we can still do something. He said, “There are more hungry, homeless, and lonely children of Heavenly Father than we can possibly reach. And the numbers grow ever farther from our reach. So the Lord has given us something that we each can do.” That something of course is fasting and fast offerings, and he showed that he could respond to his desire to help the people of Vanuatu by seeking out his Bishop to give him fast offerings. I’m impressed that he didn’t wait until Sunday—he went immediately to give his offering to the Bishop on a Saturday after he found out about Vanuatu, even though I’m sure he knew that the money would not be immediately put to use. So what do we do when we feel that there is too much need around the world for us to make any difference in the lives of the poor? We still do something, and that can be as simple as fasting and donating an offering to our Bishop. I think President Eyring’s example shows us that it’s not about the size of our offering or even the impact of our offering that is most important; what matters is that we are trying to “obey the commandment to care for those in need” and that we offer up a sacrifice of what we can. As Edward Everett Hale apparently said, “I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments: