Dear Sisters,
“By small and
simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:6)
What an inspired
passage – it causes us to think. In the
New Testament, the Jewish community is praying to be delivered from the hands
of bondage. They are promised a
Messiah. They expected a loud, clashing,
war-like deliverance with much shedding of blood and a vindication. And so they waited.
And while they
waited, a baby was born under the humblest of circumstances, born in a
stable. Some people looked heavenward
for a sign of His birth and saw a Star, but most of the world was unaware of
His birth. He was raised in a home of
modest means and worked side-by-side with his earthly father learning the craft
of carpentry. When he became of age, he left
his home and quietly preached his Heavenly Father’s words – words of love,
forgiveness and meekness.
And the Jewish
community continued to wait for their Messiah.
While listening for thunder, they missed the whispered words that
delivered us all from bondage. A small
and simple thing.
In our own
lives, we have been touched by and participated in small and simple
things. It is likely that we do not
know the outcome of most of the small acts of kindness. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (October 2008) said,
“When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded
that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk and talk with here, now,
every day. Some of them reside in our
own neighborhoods. Indeed heaven never
seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kinds of
devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes
to mind.”
President Monson
refers to Charles Dicken’s immortal “Christmas Carol,” in which Ebenezer
Scrooge is visited by his former partner, Marley, on the Eve of Christmas. Marley sadly bemoans opportunities lost, “Why
did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never
raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode? Were
there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!”
As we enter the
holiday season, our thoughts also turn to the angels among us that have touched
us deeply through small and simple things.
Although, we may not know the outcome of some of our acts, we should
remember those to which we are the beneficiary.
We have arrived at the conclusion that to be ungrateful is to be blind
to happiness. Let us take heed of
Marley’s lament and turn our eyes upward, to raise them “to that blessed Star
which led Wise Men.” Let us listen to
our Savior’s soft voice so that we can remain in his service – and by small and
simple means, achieve great things.
Has your life
been touched by another sister? Has
someone acted as an angel in your life through a small act, perhaps without
even knowing it.
For our
Christmas activity, we are asking each of you to share a memory of a way that
other sisters have touched your life. If
an experience doesn’t come to your mind, share a Christmas tradition that has affected
your life or a Christmas recipe. Please write in a letter format. If you wish
to remain anonymous, please leave your name off. Please
email your letter to Nachelle Edgington, by no later than December 1st,
nachelle.edgington@gmail.com.
Thank you! “By
small and simple things are great things brought to pass
Love,
Relief Society Activities
Board
