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For years when I heard or read the word “Volunteer” I would cringe. I am so busy already, why should I add more to my already hectic schedule by volunteering? Perspective changes when ones knowledge increases and you realize the importance of giving of your time and talents. I decided to take a second look into the world of volunteering and schedule my life accordingly.
Jesus, the Apostles, and other notable people such as Ghandi and Mother Teresa could easily say they were very busy people. They could easily be “too busy” to give service to others, but in giving we find that we are receiving more than we give. Albert Einstein pointed this out when he said, “Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.” How does that work? How is it that life is better and more worth living when we give of our time to help others when we ourselves are so busy? Thomas Monson answers that quite well, “We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the ‘thick of thin things.’ In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.” 1
Recently, I had my eighth baby. I wanted so much to jump back into the life I was living a year previous where I was exercising one to two hours a day. I have about twenty more pounds of baby weight to lose and I wanted to do it right away. Additionally, we have five homeschooling children including a highschooler this year who is also taking a religious seminary class early each morning. My husband is often away from the family due to his career in the Army. I desire to have my kids take part in sports, and extra homeschool group activities such as book groups, a Shakespearean Conquest, music lessons and 4H. In the meantime I wish to further my education by reading classic books and discussing them with other adults in a book group. My online business is also extremely important to me and helping others is a mission I have in this life. I was beginning to be confused and frustrated at my lack of time and energy to get it all in.
In short, I had a lot of wants, several needs, and a little energy. It was time to step back, sit down and decide what was most important in the “grand scheme of things”. The first step is to “focus on the outcome” as Stephen Covey says. How do I want the end to look? I want, first and foremost, happy successful children raised into happy successful adults. Therefore, homeschool and religion is first. Sports are fun but unnecessary so we will participate in them, but not allow them to rule the schedule. If the sports schedule does begin to rule, we will take it back over and end it for the season. I’m sticking to the rule that if something becomes your ruler you must get rid of it from your life.
Next, I had to tackle the exercise problem. My desire was unrealistic at this time in my life. Exercise is important and should be done, but traveling to and from a gym takes too much time out of my life. My husband and I discussed this and decided to purchase several exercise DVD’s and combine this with running a route close to our house. This means that I won’t have to worry about the extra time out of my day for a commute. However, I need to start slow and the plan is to exercise three days a week no more than an hour at a time. This is enough to keep my body healthy. Any more than that right now will take time away from my ultimate goals. I have to remember to discipline myself. As D. Todd Christofferson said, “ ‘Moral discipline’ [means] self-discipline based on moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42-45).” 2
So, What About Service?
Leo Tolstoy, writer of Anna Karenina and other great works once said, “Joy can be real only if people look on their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.”
If we don’t make service a part of life we never will do it. Therefore, our goal for this school year is to look outside of ourselves. I went over a list of ways we can give service to the community with the family at family counsel. They were all excited to participate as I believe a love of helping others is a natural, inborn love. The kids are now learning to crochet granny square Afghans to donate to various places such as nursing homes. Once a month we plan to have a pizza party at the Ronald McDonald house. We provide the pizza, drinks and movie. We also contacted a few local charitable organizations and plan to help the “Care and Share” by working in their garden and the older ones to help package food to give away.
Let us not be discouraged if volunteering is not something we can actively go out to do yet. Gandhi said, “Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large.” Small, random acts of kindness are one of the best ways to give service to another. From there you can incorporate more service and eventually involve others in your cause.
“He who helps in the saving of others, Saves himself as well.” -Hartmann Von Aue
Works Cited
“What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 85
D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 105
Shiloah Baker is a mom of eight, married to the man she’s madly in love with. Exercise is her vice. She runs the Homemaking Cottage & Co. and homeschools. In her spare time she sews, crafts, writes and reads.
Ebook by Shiloah Baker
“Charity Never Faileth” is the central theme of Relief Society. Service is one of the ways of sharing the pure love of Christ. This ebook contains ideas on putting together a service program for a 6 month-1 year length of time within your ward or stake.
This ebook also shares how to implement this as a one time service activity as well. As all of our ebooks contain refreshment ideas and multiple ideas on “how to put it all together” so does this ebook keep in line with the others.
Other ideas include:
Sister to Sister Mentoring Program
How to Set up the Service Program
Recipes including: Chicken Cordon Blue, Italian Biscotti
To Purchase, click here.
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