Be Anxiously Engaged
By Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened
through the efforts of many hands “anxiously engaged in a good cause.”
Elder Perry, I think you must be the
youngest 90-year-old in the whole Church. You noticed how he jumped out of his
chair.
My beloved brothers and sisters, each time I
enjoy a fresh, vine-ripened tomato or eat a juicy peach right off the tree, my
thoughts go back 60 years to when my father owned a small peach orchard in
Holladay, Utah. He kept beehives there to pollinate the peach blossoms that
would eventually grow into very large, delicious peaches.
Father loved his gentle honeybees and
marveled at the way thousands of them working together transformed the nectar
gathered from his peach blossoms into sweet, golden honey—one of nature’s most
beneficial foods. In fact, nutritionists tell us it is one of the foods that
includes all the substances—enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water—necessary
to sustain life.
My father always tried to involve me in his
work with his hives, but I was very happy to let him tend to his bees. However,
since those days, I have learned more about the highly organized beehive—a
colony of about 60,000 bees.
Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather
nectar, and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession
imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to
produce just one pound (0.45 kg) of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000
bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two
times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four
months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere
one-twelfth of one teaspoon.
Though seemingly insignificant when compared
to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the
life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be
overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees
faithfully do their part.
The
beehive has always been an important symbol in our Church history. We learn in
the Book of Mormon that the Jaredites carried honeybees with them (see Ether 2:3) when they journeyed to the Americas
thousands of years ago. Brigham Young chose the beehive as a symbol to
encourage and inspire the cooperative energy necessary among the pioneers to
transform the barren desert wasteland surrounding the Great Salt Lake into the
fertile valleys we have today. We are the beneficiaries of their collective
vision and industry.
The beehive symbol is found in both the
interiors and exteriors of many of our temples. This podium where I stand is made
from the wood of a walnut tree grown in President Gordon B. Hinckley’s
backyard and is adorned with carved beehive images.
All of
this symbolism attests to one fact: great things are brought about and burdens
are lightened through the efforts of many hands “anxiously engaged in a good
cause” (D&C 58:27). Imagine what the millions of Latter-day
Saints could accomplish in the world if we functioned like a beehive in our
focused, concentrated commitment to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Savior taught that the first and great
commandment is:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. …
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.
The Savior’s words are simple, yet their
meaning is profound and deeply significant. We are to love God and to love and
care for our neighbors as ourselves. Imagine what good we can do in the world
if we all join together, united as followers of Christ, anxiously and busily
responding to the needs of others and serving those around us—our families,
our friends, our neighbors, our fellow citizens.
As the
Epistle of James notes, service is the very definition of pure religion
(see James 1:27).
We read of the service Church members
provide around the world and especially the humanitarian service given in times
of crisis—fires and floods and hurricanes and tornadoes. These much-needed and
much-appreciated emergency responses should certainly continue as a way of
bearing one another’s burdens. But what about our everyday lives? What would be
the cumulative effect of millions of small, compassionate acts performed daily
by us because of our heartfelt Christian love for others? Over time this would
have a transformative effect upon all of our Heavenly Father’s children through
the extension of His love to them through us. Our troubled world needs this
love of Christ today more than ever, and it will need it even more in the years
ahead.
These simple, daily acts of service may not
seem like much in and of themselves, but when considered collectively they
become just like the one-twelfth teaspoon of honey contributed by a single bee
to the hive. There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when
that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it
will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith,
hope, and charity.
What do
we need to do to become like the dedicated honeybees and have that dedication
become part of our nature? Many of us are dutiful in attending our Church
meetings. We work hard in our callings and especially on Sundays. That is
surely to be commended. But are our minds and our hearts just as anxiously
engaged in good things during the rest of the week? Do we just go through the
motions, or are we truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? How do we
take the seed of faith that has been nurtured in our minds and plant it deep in
the fertile soil of our souls? How do we make the mighty change of heart that
Alma says is essential for our eternal happiness and peace? (see Alma 5:12–21).
Remember, honey contains all of the
substances necessary to sustain mortal life. And the doctrine and gospel of
Christ is the only way to obtain eternal life. Only when our testimony
transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our
motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior’s. It is then, and
only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ empowered by the
Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellowmen.
When
our hearts are no longer set upon the things of this world, we will no longer
aspire to the honors of men or seek only to gratify our pride (see D&C 121:35–37). Rather, we take on the Christlike
qualities that Jesus taught:
·
We are gentle and meek and long-suffering (see D&C 121:41).
·
We are kind, without hypocrisy or guile (see D&C 121:42).
·
We feel charity toward all men (see D&C 121:45).
·
Our thoughts are always virtuous (see D&C 121:45).
·
We no longer desire to do evil (see Mosiah 5:2).
·
The Holy Ghost is our constant companion, and the doctrines of
the priesthood distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven (see D&C 121:45–46).
Now, brothers and sisters, I’m not
encouraging religious zealotry or fanaticism. Quite the contrary! I’m simply
suggesting that we take the next logical step in our complete conversion to the
gospel of Christ by assimilating its doctrines deep within our hearts and our
souls so we will act and live consistently—and with integrity—what we profess
to believe.
This integrity simplifies our lives and
amplifies our sensitivities to the Spirit and to the needs of others. It brings
joy into our lives and peace to our souls—the kind of joy and peace that comes
to us as we repent of our sins and follow the Savior by keeping His
commandments.
How do we make this change? How do we
ingrain this love of Christ into our hearts? There is one simple daily practice
that can make a difference for every member of the Church, including you boys
and girls, you young men and you young women, you single adults, and you
fathers and mothers.
That simple practice is: In your morning
prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an
opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day
with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay
focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather
nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be
enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before
realized were possible.
President Thomas S. Monson has taught
that in many instances Heavenly Father answers another person’s prayers through
us—through you and me—through our kind words and deeds, through our simple
acts of service and love.
And
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “God does notice us, and he watches
over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.
Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other” (Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 82).
I know that if you do this—at home, at
school, at work, and at church—the Spirit will guide you, and you will be able
to discern those in need of a particular service that only you may be able to
give. You will be prompted by the Spirit and magnificently motivated to help
pollinate the world with the pure love of Christ and His gospel.
And remember, like the little honeybee’s
one-twelfth teaspoon of honey provided to the hive, if we multiply our efforts
by tens of thousands, even millions of prayerful efforts to share God’s love
for His children through Christian service, there will be a compounding effect
of good that will bring the Light of Christ to this ever-darkening world. Bound
together, we will bring love and compassion to our own family and to the
lonely, the poor, the broken, and to those of our Heavenly Father’s children
who are searching for truth and peace.
It is
my humble prayer, brothers and sisters, that we will ask in our daily prayers
for the inspiration to find someone for whom we can provide some meaningful
service, including the service of sharing the gospel truths and our
testimonies. At the end of each day, may we be able to say yes to the
questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in
need?” (Hymns, no. 223).
This is God’s work. May we be about it as
faithfully as the dedicated little honeybees go about theirs, I humbly pray in
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“We’re We All Honey
Bees”
cji
7/1/19
Would the world be
changed
could we really make a
change
working together as one
each giving our small %
equally giving to the
whole
lifting and helping all
about
because we are in
reality
all honey bees good or
bad
working together as one
pulling or pushing in
our way
being anxiously engaged
in the Lord’s work
today!
Copyright ©
2019 – cji
