Finding Joy through Loving Service - M. Russell Ballard

  There are seven short paragraphs in the story in this talk that illustrate the principle of how out of small and simple things, great things are accomplished. As a youth, I remember the gold panning activity that you could do at Knott's Berry Farm in California. By paying an entry fee you were given a pan and allowed to pan in the sands and water in a trough looking for the flecks of gold. I'm sure we didn't find much and that the gold was "salted" in the sands. Now we are told here that we should take the time to find opportunities in our days to find Joy by doing small acts of service. Now the challenge has been given so let's find and report on some small act of service we can do each day. Here are the steps that might help this activity:

• Identify what act can be done today, knowing it may come to you on the spot or it may need planning.
• Carry out the service in the attitude of love and charity.
• Report on the service either in your journal, to your spouse, to your family or to a friend.
• Identify the service and look for the joy received by the giver and the recipient.
• Do it again.

  Here is an example: Shirlyn made cookies with M&M's showing on the tops. We took them to a family we were invited to visit. The cookies represented a service they could do for others when they visited a young person with an invitation to join with them in their class. This act of sharing resulted in commitments to do the same with their visits and resulted in a great expression of love from the family and invitations to return soon.
  When you create your own acts of service, you will find the culmination of the many small acts in your "pouch" will add up to a great treasure over time.  Just Do It!