In HIS Service

I've been doing a whole lot of thinking lately, about what I want out of life and who I want to be. One of my biggest goals this year is to be kinder, self less, and more self aware of others. From just making that simple goal, I've been more aware of the kindness that people have shown to others and to me and let me tell you, it's been so eye opening. Oh, and we are going to go into a lot of stories so just bear with me.

I've been having so many problems this month with my car, because an 18 year old car and Cache Valley weather don't get along very well. Every weather report has had a winter weather advisory on it, and it hit hard! I'm not even kidding you, blizzard conditions and -30 degree weather. So my little gray Saturn wasn't feeling it, at all. And I'm not kidding you, this weather lasted for 2 weeks, and it's supposed to be stormy this week as well. Anyways, I'm going on way too long about the weather, I'm pretty sure you've all got the picture. So the first day of this fun storm we got about 6 inches of snow. Here I am at 4:00 in the afternoon driving home from work in my little car, with 6 inches of snow on the road and big flakes of snow coming down with my wipers on full speed. The snow froze on my windshield wipers so I could barely see at all. Then I did something stupid, I pulled over in the Walmart parking lot, and got stuck! Obviously, the first thing I did was call my mom because let's be honest mom's can solve every issue. Here I am crying in the Walmart parking lot while I'm on the phone with my mom and using my little ice scraper to dig myself out all while cussing at people who were driving in the parking lot passing me, because I'm super mature. I explained my situation to my mom, I was as dramatic as possible, because my name is Megan, and that's what I do. My mom then called my dad and then I called my brother, because he's like my little super hero that gets me out of so many messes that I get myself into. Anyways, long story short my brother came and saved me, and you know what? He didn't complain one bit. I must be the favorite sibling or something, kidding!

Countless times my car hasn't started in the mornings because we are in Idaho/Utah, and it's dang cold. And my dad, brother, and sister in law have each come to my rescue. From giving me rides to and from work, to putting a new battery in my car. They didn't have to do that, but they did. They could've just let me try to figure things out on my own but they didn't. They are always here to offer me assistance even when I'm being my sassy little self.

After all of these "dramatic" events with my car my dad came up to me and asked me a simple question. He said, "Megan, when's the last time you did something nice for me?" Honestly, it took me back a bit, or maybe a lot. Like who asks that? But it shouldn't have taken me back at all. I've been blessed by having so many people in my life who are willing to drop everything they are doing at a moment's notice to bail me out of silly situations. And what do I do in return? Do I return that kindness to others and serve them?  My dad wasn't trying to get me to do anything for him, he was just making a point. A point that struck me to the core, and helped change the way I see others. He went on to tell me that his brother reached out to him asking what he could do to help my dad. You see, my uncle has MS and has had it for quite some time. His life has been changed drastically and he asked what he could do to serve my dad who is in perfect health. Instead of my uncle asking what others could do for him, he asked what he could do to make other's lives better. That day I learned a powerful lesson from my dad and my uncle, that I can serve no matter what is happening in my life.

Then today at church I witnessed something that really had an impact on me. As I was sitting in the pew I heard two babies crying. That is nothing out of the ordinary for a home ward, but since I've been in the YSA ward I still look up because I'm not fully used to it. As I looked up I saw a mother with two little ones, each wanting their mother's attention but she could only give the help they needed one at a time and she was doing the best she could. Then I noticed the lady in the pew directly in front of me. She did something so simple, but it had such a big impact on both the mother she was helping and myself. She simply soothed the other child by gently rocking the car seat back and forth. She didn't have to help that other mother out, but the fact of the matter is that she did. As I observed these two mothers I saw true Christ like love and was reminded what this life is all about. It's not about us being perfect all on our own and doing things alone in this life. Instead, it's about accepting the help of others and giving our help freely to others.

So tonight as I write this post with a dramatic story about a silly car, I am reminded of the love that Heavenly Father has for me. He loves me so much that he as given me so many people in my life who teach me valuable lessons. He loves each of us so much that he is willing to place special people in our lives to show us what true Christ like love looks like, so we can then emulate it in our own lives. Thank you to my dad, brother, sister in law, uncle, and the two mothers who each taught me a valuable lesson that I so needed to be reminded of. It just goes to show that when you are in the service of others you really are in the service of your God, and that my friends is a beautiful thing!