Week 73: Unprofitable Servants (November 25, 2019)

"Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life." -Omar Khayyam 

They say that happy people are products of a life of charitable giving; in fact, scientists say you actually gain what they term as a "helpers high" when you serve others... It releases endorphins similar to those released during exercise. But what type of giving can qualify us for these type of magical results? 

There is a Brigham Young Univeristy devotional by Brooks Arthur, where he talks about this exact thing. He says that "your church gives a lot..." and that "maybe that is why Utah is termed as one of the happiest places to live in the United states." 

But why? 

Lots of us give donations to charity at least once a month - and lots of us have made a visit with paper plated cookies more than a time or two. It is a fact that a lot of people, not just in this church, give a lot. This week, I got to see a new way that we become happy through a different form of giving; one that does not result from store bought goods or routine donations. 

This form of giving comes in our ability to serve, act, and do, regardless of our personal feelings in certain circumstances - whether results from our own actions or the actions of others. 

We have to give of ourselves. And that is what we spend this whole life trying to figure out, how to give what truly, truly matters... 

Us. 

"I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants."  Mosiah 2:21

Ending a mission is hard. The weeks of this transfer are ultimately some of the fastest I have had, probably ever in my life. The stress of everything catches up to us, a lot, and we often find that it causes us to feel pretty ill. But we made the decision a long time ago to finish, and to finish as hard as can possibly run. Someone we put on date to be baptized two weeks ago, is getting baptized next week. We have a Thanksgiving full of five dinners and lots of ministering, and conferences upon conferences. 

We are running, however slippery the adversary may sabotage the course. 

This week was no exception to slippery moments! We had some conference this week, in fact we had a mission tour. A mission tour is where a general authority of any kind, comes and visits our mission to talk with each of us. Elder Wong of the seventy came.... And our last zone conference was probably one of the most interesting we have had. I will leave it up to your imagination. 

The Spirit was strong, and great lessons were taught. But it ended in a rough place, where it took up the rest of our day, and we were informed that for a special leadership meeting we would need to be in Helena the next day by one o'clock. Two days out of our week were devoted to running around crazily,   and hours of hard chairs encompassed by different lectures. But it was what we had to do - we had to be willing to give all of ourselves and do what we needed to do. 

So we did. 

On top of all the craziness,  somehow we still managed to find two new people to teach this week, had four people at church, and taught a lot of discussions. But it was not us who did that. God did that. Because He loves us and helps us succeed - when we give our all to Him. Whether that all is in our responsibilities in the mission or otherwise. He helps us when in what time we have, we go out and try. 

All He asks is that we try. 

"...I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." 

Even yet, we would be unprofitable servants. Our loving Father in Heaven can use any willing tool to do this work - in fact, if He just did it Himself it would be a lot smoother and would probably happen a lot faster. So why does He send missionaries out? 

Because WE need it... He doesn't. We do. Without these kind of experiences in life that push us to do His will and to act, we would have nothing to fall upon when the wind blow. When the temperatures drop in the everyday corridors of life. We would be paralyzed by our inability to rely upon the Lord - we need this. 

We need the work. 

Maybe you are found through something hard, maybe you are feeling a little lost or that you don't know where to turn. Well turn upward and towards Christ.... while it may feel difficult, I promise it is as easy as turning your head, eventually bringing your whole body to face Him. It just takes a willing heart. 

Any time is a great time to change, but especially the Christmas season. There is a new video out, called "The Christ Child". I encourage you to invite your friends, your family, your neighbors - to watch this. Don't watch it on a smartphone or a computer, unless it is all you have. Play it on a big screen, the music loud. This is a video you absolutely cannot miss using to share the sweet influence of the Spirit with others. 

We watched it with our friend Lexi and her boyfriend Greg, both who have pretty extreme disabilities. The Spirit penetrated every soul, every single thing that could have been misunderstood by them. And it was incredible. 

Show it, love it, feel it. 

This is a great time to be alive - the fullness of the gospel is constantly being unfurled. Please, don't miss it. 

Your inadequacies are just a part of the journey, I promise. 

Just remember, "You are so busy being busy that you don't realize how unprecendented you are." 

The weeks are really coming down now, my heart races a little faster each last weekly I send. As I begin to prepare for home, please do not be offended if I do not respond to some of you who may write or message me. I will see you very soon, and am trying really hard to focus on what I will not ever have again. I love you. 

This is Christ's work. 

Sister Walstad