From a Relief Society lesson I taught May 27, 2018
Pertaining to the new Ministering program, everyone will still have a partner and a few sisters to
minister to. Some of your partnerships may remain the same, others will change since young
women will be added to the mix. Each ministering sister will have a brief interview with a member of the Relief Society presidency once a quarter but your Relief Society president would like to be able to ask any one of you at any time, “How your sisters are doing?” and be confident that you, as a friend to those sisters, will know. When I asked my Relief Society president if there was anything in particular that she would like me to address concerning ministering in our ward she said the following: “The biggest thing about the new ministering program in the church, in my opinion, comes down to serving our sisters with Christlike love. If we truly do that, everything else will fall into place.” So today I’d like our discussion to be centered around what Christlike love is.
I want you to ask yourself. Is there a difference between love and Christlike love? If so what is the
difference?
I feel that a big difference between love and Christlike love is that Christlike love will always help in bettering both the giver and the receiver, while our own love though genuinely felt and earnestly given, may at times be misdirected. How often have people done things motivated by love that end up being detrimental to the receiver or fall short of what is really needed? I came across a thought provoking talk in the December 1982 Ensign by Mormon and clinical psychologist Allen E. Bergin:
“Recently, while searching the scriptures for thoughts on how to improve and heal human relationships, I became fascinated by the book of John in the New Testament. According to John’s testimony, Jesus Christ taught that his capacity to love and to redeem the human race depended first on a harmonious relationship with his Father. It was as though this relationship was essential for gaining the capacity to redeem and bless the rest of humanity. The Lord revealed that his perfected relationship with the Father consisted of two ingredients: love and obedience. When combined and harmonized, these appeared to produce an alloy stronger than either ingredient alone…Do we likewise gain the capacity to love and participate in the redemptive process as we voluntarily and lovingly submit ourselves to the will of the Savior and our Father? ...Our unity with them is a result of obedience and love; and this oneness with a higher power in turn enables us to love more effectively and become one with each other.”
Love + Obedience to God’s Will = Christlike Love
For this equation to work we have to know what God’s will is. Not just pertaining to revealed
commandments and scriptural admonition. To truly be able to show Christlike love for those we’ve
been asked to serve, we must understand how Christ would love them. It was no coincidence that
President Nelson spoke so emphatically about developing the gift of personal revelation in the same
conference that these changes were made. The prophet described ministering as serving one
another in a “new and holier way” precisely because there is no longer a set formula. This new
approach gives us far more freedom and therefore far more personal responsibility. It also
emphasizes that a visit is not the end goal but a stepping stone. The end goal being to bring people
closer to Christ. The success of spreading Christ’s love depends on your good relationship with
God and recognizing His inspiration concerning when and how to help those for whom we’ve been given stewardship. This doesn’t mean that we need to pray about and seek for approval for every idea we have to serve and minister. Doing kind things will always be acceptable before God and we are commanded to do much good of our own free will. It just means being worthy and able to recognize revelation if God knows there is something more or something different that is needed at a particular time in a sisters life.
I want you think back on an act of kindness that helped you feel God's love for you. Think about ways you’ve been ministered to in your life. People have no doubt done things for you that have helped you feel their love, but the goal of ministering is to convey not only your love, but Christ’s love. Perhaps thinking about kindnesses that have helped you feel loved by God will give you ideas on how to minister to others. It can be hard to become a part of someone's life when you don't understand them or when they seem to shut you out. I'm grateful for many people who were never deterred by my anger and abrasiveness as a deeply depressed teenager. Never discount the power of sincere, kind words. I am here today because of them!
Please remember that though we as members of the church have the special privilege to minister
to specific individuals, we must not restrict ourselves to ministering solely to them. Having Christlike love means being willing to fulfill any needs we see for anyone we come into contact with. Christ certainly had things to accomplish each day that he lived, just like we all do. But no goal or objective was more important than someone who needed his help.
