Our
stake president once gave a talk on what he termed the three levels
of service in our membership in the Church. He called them the three
“D’s”: drudgery, duty, and devotion.
At
the first level, drudgery — the work that must be done to keep
things rolling — we might see only as what must be endured. A
person seeing service in these terms knows it’s necessary but
certainly won’t see it as enjoyable.
Moroni,
recording the teachings of his father Mormon, said in Moroni 7:8:
For behold, if a man
being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly: wherefore it is
counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift: wherefore
he is counted evil before God.
I
think that it’s possible to not be an evil person, to be a
reasonably good person, but to give what is asked, or what is needed
from us, without generosity. Seeing service in the Church at the
level of drudgery means that we do show up, at least most of the
time, and we do something that needs to be done.
It’s
probably the bare minimum and it’s probably with a grumble or
two, a groan, or at best a resigned sigh. (Those might be silent or
all too audible.)
Now,
if the chairs need to be set up in the overflow before Sunday, and
the assigned persons do show up and set them up, the members coming
to their meetings will be glad of it; they won’t know the
difference, because the job got done.
But
the opportunity to do that simple but important task won’t
bring any joy to the person who does it feeling it to be only a
hassle and an interruption to his Saturday, and so the effect on him
is about zilch. It does as much good in his heart as if he
hadn’t done it at all. He misses out on the blessings. Maybe
it’s “counted unto him for righteousness” —
just barely.
The
second level of service is duty. This is seeing the process of
participation in the kingdom much more positively than the first.
Duty incorporates the principles of honoring our responsibilities and
taking care of what’s needed.
Duty
might be patient and dependable, and accomplish the things that are
needed for others. It acknowledges obligation. There is
satisfaction in that. But if we never see beyond the level of duty,
we still gain only a portion of the blessings of service.
The
purpose of our service is not just to get the work done that needs
doing, but to give us a portion of our Redeemer’s selflessness.
It offers a process of sanctification. The highest level of service
is devotion: when we do what we do because we love the Lord and we
want to do his work.
When
we can pass from the perspective of duty to devotion, we look for
chances to do something worthwhile, to help someone who needs it. We
become open to the quietest nudges of the Spirit, sensitive to needs
and feelings that might not be openly shared.
With
devotion rather than just duty, we don’t care much about notice
or credit, just about the tender feelings that may come from touching
someone else’s life in a way that matters to them. We will
also be cognizant and grateful for the moments where others touch and
bless our own course.
Devotion
connects faith and action, and expresses our testimony in our
service, with genuine love. It’s our hearts opened to light
and spiritual sight. It’s the level where we begin to love as
Christ loves. He, after all, gave everything, infinitely, for us.
It’s where we are naturally and purely drawn to do the same.
Moroni continues:
But behold, that which is
of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually: wherefore, every
thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to
serve him, is inspired of God.” Moroni 7:13.
There
are always tasks that need to be done, which aren’t
particularly fun or exciting. If the pot of chili boiled over for
the Relief Society lunch, for example, it’s not a very
appealing prospect to have to clean it up, but even a drudge-type job
can be done with a willing heart.
It
could be started with a sense of duty — after all, you can’t
just let the crud dry up and petrify while you ignore it and leave it
for someone else — but no matter what needs doing, it can be
done with a glad heart. My experience is that if you do whatever
you’re dealing with a prayer, your outlook will brighten, your
mood will lift, and the moment will be blessed.
We
do a lot of things because we know they need to be done. Not all of
them are exciting; they may even be invisible to most others. But
when those acts of service, whether in our formal callings or not,
are done with prayer, hope, faithfulness and love, we become true
disciples. We desire to see the Lord’s blessings in the lives
of others, because we are coming to love them and see them as He
does.
When
we come to serve with devotion, our service truly becomes a gift, not
just for those who receive it, but for ourselves. It brings us
nearer to being what we hope to become.
Marian J. Stoddard was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in its Maryland suburbs. Her
father grew up in Carson City, Nevada, and her mother in Salt Lake City, so she was always
partly a Westerner at heart, and she ended up raising her family in Washington State. Her family
took road trips all over the United States and Canada, so there were lots of adventures.
The adventures of music, literature, and art were also valued and pursued. Playing tourist always
included the local museums as well as historical sites and places of natural beauty. Discussions
at home, around the dinner table or working in the kitchen, could cover politics, philosophy, or
poetry, with the perspective of the gospel underlying all. Words and ideas, and testimony and
service, were the family currency.
Marian graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland, and attended the
University of Utah as the recipient of the Ralph Hardy Memorial Scholarship, where she was
graduated with honors, receiving a B.A. in English. She also met the love of her life, a law
student, three weeks after her arrival; she jokes that she had to marry him because her mother
always wanted a tenor in the family. (She sings second soprano.) They were married two years
later and have six children and six grandchildren (so far). She treasures her family, her friends,
and her opportunities to serve.
Visit Marian at her blog, greaterthansparrows. You can contact her at
bloggermarian@gmail.com.
Marian and her husband live in Tacoma, Washington. Together they teach those who are
preparing to go to the temple for the first time, and she also teaches a Stake Relief Society
Institute class.