Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee—
Lord, I would follow thee.
Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee.
I would be my brother’s keeper;
I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother’s keeper—
Lord, I would follow thee.
Savior, may I love my brother
As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my brother—
Lord, I would follow thee.
Today, our Sacrament Services concluded with this Hymn. The words seemed to go straight to my heart and spoke to me as they never had before. I know this hymn well, it's one that we sing often and I even knew we would be singing it today. However, I guess there will always be times when something seems new to us. Even something this familiar.
Our neighborhood has met with a great deal of heartache over the past few weeks. Several of our dear friends and neighbors are battling for their lives, their loves, their sanity. There are some pretty serious things going on and you can feel the weight of it as you look around and see what people are going through.
I often wonder what I can really do to be helpful and be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in loving and caring for my brothers and sisters around me. Then, I defeat myself, feeling like there is more to be done then I can handle. And, that often leads me to do nothing, completely overwhelmed by the many, many dire needs, I don't see how I can do any good in all of this. That must be exactly how the adversary would want us all to feel.
That is why we are asked to commit to being true brothers and sisters to those around us. We need each other. Times get tough and we need to be able to be supported by those around us. My dear sweet neighbor is recently a widow, and she is so sad and lonely. The emptiness of her home is often more than she can bear. I have often told her that my home is now hers - she is welcome anytime. But I know I need to do more. I need to bring her over and seat her warmly at my table. We need to call her and keep tabs on her, and when she is in the depths of despair, I just need to sit and cry with her.
Last night, I was able to learn first-hand how much we will be strengthened when we are reaching out to help another. The Lord gave me an opportunity to give more at the end of a physically exhausting day. And although the opportunity came up very quick and unexpected, it resulted in a very joyous evening, during which the last thing on my mind was my exhaustion. And when it was finally time to rest I was able to do so with a smile in my heart. If I had comtemplated that opportunity before it was presented, I am not so certain I would have taken it. Thank heavens for events that are placed in our paths, and for the times we take those on.
So, after my experience last night and my further prompting with a song today, when I start looking at all that needs to be done around me, I will be confident that when I "pause to help and lift another", the Lord really will bless me His strength. And the words of John will be there to prod me on, as needed:
"... let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
