I’m convinced that we often do much more good in our lives than we are prone to think we do. I really think for the most part that people are good, or at least they want to be good. I think that people want to help others. I think that people want to feel happy. I know that true happiness comes by living the principles of faith and repentance. As we learn more about Christ and follow His example we become happier, it is a natural result.
We visit a woman who is very timid and sometimes I mistake her shyness as rudeness. I assumed that she didn’t like us at all and was simply putting up with us whenever we came over. On Thursday night she randomly called us around 9pm and asked if she could please make us lunch the next day. I was so surprised at the offer, and of course we accepted.
When we got to her house the next day we found a feast waiting for us. She had prepared so much food, just for me and my companions. Then she slowly and deliberately got out the nicest plates and cups she could find and bustled around the kitchen as she served us. She was quiet the entire time, as usual, but there was a huge smile on her face the whole time we were there. We shared a message about prayer before we left and then gave her hugs goodbye. Before we walked out the door she thanked us for coming, something that she had never done before.
I’m sure that for a woman as shy as her that it was such a challenge to call the missionaries at night, when she wasn’t sure if they were awake or asleep. I know it took time to prepare, serve, and clean up the meal. I know it was out of her comfort zone to give us each a hug and thank us for our visit, but she did it anyway. She did things that were hard for her so that we could know she loves us and wants to serve us. I felt the Spirit so strongly in that visit and I was touched by the example of self-sacrifice demonstrated by this woman.
Each of us has different trials or temptations. We are each asked to step out of our comfort zone, to change, and become the people that we have the potential to be. I am so grateful for the gift of repentance made available through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the option I have to make changes in my life that help me to bless the lives of others and come nearer to God. I am thankful for a timid woman who demonstrated the love of the Savior by overcoming her fears and giving me a hug.
It’s been a good week, full to the brim with miracles. I’m a lucky girl to be here in New Jersey serving my friends. I live a charmed life.
