Be Willing to Serve

 

Feeling Distant from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Here Are 5 Ways to Close the Gap

By Sister Tamara W. Runia

First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

1. Be Willing to Serve

When I was a college freshman, I was called to teach Relief Society. I hadn’t done anything like this before. I struggled to make time to prepare.

There were some Sunday mornings when I would call the counselor I served with and say, “I didn’t have time to look at the lesson, so I won’t be able to come teach today.” And I just wouldn’t go.

At the end of the semester, a member of the bishopric met with me and said, “We’re making adjustments in some of the positions in the ward, and we’re releasing you.”

I know we don’t get fired from our callings, but in that moment, it felt a lot like getting fired to me.

And I knew exactly why. This calling had come through inspiration to someone who felt like I could serve, and I’d let them down—the Relief Society presidency, the bishopric, and most of all, the Lord.

That calling had been an opportunity to feel a sense of purpose, to belong to something bigger than myself, and to feel closer to God at that time in life, but I hadn’t seen that.

I have not been perfect, but ever since that experience, I’ve tried to serve with my whole heart in the callings and assignments I’ve been given. When we have a willingness to serve others with love, it’s one of many ways we can feel the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

"I Need Thee Every Hour" sung a lot with Prophet's Meeting

 “I Need Thee Every Hour”

When the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles meet each week in the temple, they always begin their meetings with a hymn. For decades, President Russell M. Nelson (1924–2025) and other quorum members documented the hymns they sang. According to the dates recorded in President Nelson’s temple hymnbook, one of the most frequently sung hymns was “I Need Thee Every Hour” (Hymns [1985], no. 98). President Nelson often was accompanist.

President Dallin H. Oaks said, “Picture the spiritual impact of a handful of the Lord’s servants singing that song before praying for His guidance in fulfilling their mighty responsibilities.”

Worshipping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Through Sacred Music

By Melanie Jex

Church Music Team

Deciding on the New Hymns

 

Worshipping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Through Sacred Music

By Melanie Jex

Church Music Team

When Hymns for Home and Church was prepared, Church leaders carefully reviewed the lyrics of each hymn to make sure the doctrine was clear and accurate. For example, the lyrics of the song “When I Am Baptized,” as sung by children around the world in many languages, have spoken of our wrongs being “washed away.”

Some interpreted those words to mean that baptism’s waters cleanse us from sin. As Church leaders reviewed these words, they chose to adjust the lyrics to teach more clearly that the Savior, Jesus Christ, is the source of cleansing from sin. The revised words in the second verse now read:

I know when I am baptized I choose the Savior’s way,

And I will be forgiven as I turn to Him each day.”

...Sacred music is a participation-based experience. It is not reserved for the musically talented. The Lord has said He delights “in the song of the heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12). He didn’t set a standard for vocal skill or instrumental ability—only that we sing from our hearts. As Elder Patrick Kearon encouraged, “So let’s sing! And praise Him! [Psalm 100:1].”

How Affliction and Weakness Can Result in Happiness

 “We should … give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our hearts to God and give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become. The Lord taught the prophet Moroni, ‘I give unto men weakness that they may be humble,’ and then promised that ‘if they humble themselves … and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them’ (Ether 12:27). In the midst of the persecutions the Latter-day Saints were suffering in Missouri, the Lord gave a similar teaching and promise: ‘Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks; … and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:1, 3).”

President Dallin H. Oaks, “Give Thanks in All Things,” Liahona, May 2003, 96.

Sorrow Can Be Sacred Ground

 

Why Sorrow in the Plan of Happiness?

By Lyle J. Burrup

Retired Family Services Counselor

After Andria’s death, grief became my constant companion and mentor for months. Robert Browning Hamilton’s poem eloquently captures what sorrow did for me:

I walked a mile with Pleasure;

She chatted all the way,

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,

And ne’er a word said she;

But oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me!

The book of Ecclesiastes teaches a similar principle: “In much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:18).

Sorrow—which includes opposition, weakness, tribulation, and affliction—can be the faithful companion and daily mentor God intends if we but know how to use it as such....

...Second, our attitude regarding sorrow is of monumental importance. Experience with sorrow can be sacred ground. Learn to treat it as such. After a sorrowful experience, step back and examine what happened. Humbly and objectively analyze:

• Why did that happen?

• What good things can I learn from this?

• Can I use what I have learned to avoid this in the future?

Flat Relationships

 

Your Children See You—Do You See Them?

By President Timothy L. Farnes

Young Men General President

I love the following counsel from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was speaking about marriage at the time, but the principles can be applied to other family relationships:

“No matter how flat your relationship may be at the present, if you keep adding pebbles of kindness, compassion, listening, sacrifice, understanding, and selflessness, eventually a mighty pyramid will begin to grow.

“If it appears to take forever, remember: [family relationships] are meant to last forever! So ‘be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great [relationship]. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great’ [Doctrine and Covenants 64:33].”

When I'm Shift Coordinator...

 

God Knows and Loves You

By Elder Ulisses Soares

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

He is “supporting [us] from one moment to another” (Mosiah 2:21), including in ways that are custom fitted to us and our circumstances....

I echo the opinion of Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004), who believed that “one distant day it will even become more apparent than it now is that our loving Father is doing all even He possibly can do to help us!”

His Goodness Made Him Stop

 "Here's a truth I'm still trying to grasp: stopping on the road to Jericho was not what made the Samaritan good; it was his goodness that made him stop."

"Good Enough," Joey C. Franklin, Y Magazine Summer 2021, 42.

Use Music

 President Dallin H. Oaks said: "The singing of hymns is one of the best ways to put ourselves in tune with the Spirit on the Lord... Sacred music has a unique capacity to communicate our feelings of love for the Lord. This kind of communication is a wonderful aid to our worship.... Our hymns contain matchless doctrinal sermons, surpassed only by the scriptures in their truth and poetic impact." 

"Worship through Music," Ensign, Nov. 1994, 10, 11. 

Our Heavenly's Goal is to Have His Children Choose to Do What is Right

 

The Divine Signature of the US Constitution

By Laureen Naylor Simper

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

“Our Heavenly Father’s goal in parenting is not to have His children do what is right; it is to have His children choose to do what is right and ultimately become like Him. If He simply wanted us to be obedient, He would use immediate rewards and punishments to influence our behaviors.

“But God is not interested in His children just becoming trained and obedient ‘pets’ who will not chew on His slippers in the celestial living room. No, God wants His children to grow up spiritually and join Him in the family business.”

Good Things Can Take Our Time, But What Is Needful? Be Flexible with Your To-Do List

 

Trust in the Lord That You May Not Run Faster Than You Have Strength

By Sister Kristin M. Yee

Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

When I paint, it’s hard for me to walk away from what I’m doing, because I always see something that needs to be fixed or changed, some hue, value, shape, or texture that needs to be adjusted or refined. I realized early on that I needed to literally turn my painting to face the wall before I could go to sleep at night.

Sisters and brothers, the Lord can help us to find rest and to know when to “turn it to the wall.” We have many, many good things that can take our time, but what is needful? The Spirit of the Lord can help us to know what is enough, what is most important, and what can fall to the wayside. Let us be flexible with our “to do” lists and be open to what the Lord may bring our way each day. (See Jacob 4:10; Alma 37:36–37.)...

The prophet Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught that the Lord “will help us as we decide from day to day on the allocation of our time and talent. We will move faster if we hurry less. We will make more real progress if we focus on the fundamentals.”

Focusing on the fundamentals includes spending time with the Lord in personal and family prayer, studying His word, ministering as He would, worshipping in His holy house, repenting often and sincerely, and engaging in blessed family history work. These sacred efforts fill our souls and bring the power of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice into our lives and into the lives of our families on both sides of the veil.

When we trust our time and energies to Him, and let Him prevail in this way, He will bring great peace, perspective, power, guidance, and joy into our lives. We will move faster in the ways that matter most.

What Mission Does the Lord Have For You?

 

The Joy of Sharing the Gospel

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Brothers and sisters, what mission does the Lord have for you? He knows your capacity to serve, and His Church offers a variety of lengths, assignments, and locations for senior missionaries. If you, like Elder Christensen, wonder whether you are needed, the answer is a decisive yes! The Lord needs your experience, knowledge, and maturity to build His kingdom....

The Lord Needs Your Service

By Elder W. Mark Bassett, Executive Director of the Missionary Department

Whether you served a mission decades ago or have never worn a missionary name tag, the Lord can use your service. You can prepare now to be among His most effective instruments, embracing three suggestions months or even years before you plan to serve:

1. Strengthen your skills. Maintain and improve any language skills you may have had. (Freshen up from your earlier missions or high school language courses). Open your computer and learn how to use it, especially the internet and standard office computer programs and applications. Become familiar with the technology the Church offers. Digital fluency multiplies your ability to serve.

2. Care for your health. Your body is your instrument of service. Schedule that medical checkup, address lingering health concerns, and build sustainable habits. The missionary work ahead needs you at your best.

3. Study leadership. Watch how your local leaders minister, delegate, and build unity. Practice supporting them wholeheartedly. Build up local members and leaders with encouragement, service, and example. Missionaries worldwide are serving as catalysts to help leaders succeed. Every senior missionary supports and strengthens local leadership. We don’t replace it; we sustain and magnify it.

The need for senior missionaries—both couples and singles—is urgent and vast. We could fill multiple stake centers with senior missionaries and still have needs going unmet worldwide.

The Church has thousands of members who could serve, but only a fraction of them are currently serving. The need isn’t just large; it’s now—and it’s waiting for you!

Elder Bassett passed away unexpectedly on May 11, 2026, while this issue was in production.

Peace and Rest Amidst Our To Do List

This whole thing was amazing and really pinged my soul. 

 

Helping Our Children Love the Temple

 Helping our children prepare for the temple can be a natural and normal part of our lives. As the temple and its blessings are important to us, our actions and our words will teach our children to love the temple as well. When children understand the importance of making covenants with God, their desire to prepare for those covenants is likely to increase.

Teaching Your Children to Love the Temple

By Nancy Dance and Dana Wright

Former Members of the Primary General Advisory Council

October 2021

Other Bible Translations

 

Seeing Christ in the Bible

By John Hilton III

Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University

In 2025, an update to General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reinforced that while we should generally use the Church-published or preferred Bible translation in Church meetings, other translations may also be used. The General Handbook states: “Some individuals may benefit from translations that are doctrinally clear and also easier to understand. Examples of such translations can be found in the Church’s Holy Bible list.” If members find doctrinal discrepancies between Bible translations, the General Handbook advises members to “refer to the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and teachings of latter-day prophets.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/translations-and-downloads/scriptures/holy-bible?lang=eng