#138 "Sisters Share Their Cheerful Hearts"
Trigger and Context:
After our visit to “The Daughters of God” at their regular Wednesday “Come, Follow Me” study session of the New Testament (#137), “These Sisters” sent us a very beautiful “Thank You Card” with individual comments from each of them. We were thrilled, and so another poem just had to show up!
#138 “Sisters Share Their Cheerful Hearts”
This was, till now, a common day
Too filled with chores and “things to do”,
Until we paused to read your card,
And felt God’s love that shines from you.
How glad we were to read your words
Of kindness, praise, and gratitude.
Your gracious thoughts have lifted us,
And banished all our cares from view.
The faith we share has yielded fruit
That’s worthy of our Savior’s grace.
And, with His strength, we’ll yet endure,
Until the day we see His face.
And so we pray we never leave
This covenant path so straight, so true,
By sharing both our pains and love,
Until the Tree of Life we view.
© servingjesuspoetry.com
Unlimited noncommercial usage allowed.
1 Nephi 8:9-12 (Lehi sees the Tree of Life in a dream)
"And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
"And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
"And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."
Neal A Maxwell
“The tree of life… is the love of God. The love of God for His children is most profoundly expressed in His gift of Jesus as our Redeemer: ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son’. To partake of the love of god is to partake of Jesus’ Atonement and the emancipations and joys which it can bring.” Neal A. Maxwell, “Lessons from Laman and Lemuel”, LDS General Conference, October 1999
2 Cor. 9:7
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
AFTERWARD:
While the Brethren now advance their “Priesthood Ministry”, the Sisters have advanced their “Relief Society Ministry” from the outset of the Restoration:
“The early practice of ministering visits started not long after the Relief Society was established in 1842. As the population of Nauvoo, Illinois, was expanding, Relief Society leaders began to use visiting committees to assess the needs of the members and gather donations of money, food, and clothing to provide aid and relief to the needy.
Although the details of the process have changed since those early days, the principles remain the same—to minister as the Savior would minister.”
This constant visiting, and teaching, and sharing, and testifying in our homes (“Home Centered, Church Supported Worship”) is changing the focus and efficacy of our devotions and interactions. Sundays we meet to take the sacrament, make common plans, and enjoy the "communion of the Saints". But during the week we call, text, e-mail, write, visit, pray for, and in myriad other ways lift up all around us.
After our visit to “The Daughters of God” at their regular Wednesday “Come, Follow Me” study session of the New Testament (#137), “These Sisters” sent us a very beautiful “Thank You Card” with individual comments from each of them. We were thrilled, and so another poem just had to show up!
#138 “Sisters Share Their Cheerful Hearts”
This was, till now, a common day
Too filled with chores and “things to do”,
Until we paused to read your card,
And felt God’s love that shines from you.
How glad we were to read your words
Of kindness, praise, and gratitude.
Your gracious thoughts have lifted us,
And banished all our cares from view.
The faith we share has yielded fruit
That’s worthy of our Savior’s grace.
And, with His strength, we’ll yet endure,
Until the day we see His face.
And so we pray we never leave
This covenant path so straight, so true,
By sharing both our pains and love,
Until the Tree of Life we view.
© servingjesuspoetry.com
Unlimited noncommercial usage allowed.
1 Nephi 8:9-12 (Lehi sees the Tree of Life in a dream)
"And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
"And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
"And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."
Neal A Maxwell
“The tree of life… is the love of God. The love of God for His children is most profoundly expressed in His gift of Jesus as our Redeemer: ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son’. To partake of the love of god is to partake of Jesus’ Atonement and the emancipations and joys which it can bring.” Neal A. Maxwell, “Lessons from Laman and Lemuel”, LDS General Conference, October 1999
2 Cor. 9:7
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
AFTERWARD:
While the Brethren now advance their “Priesthood Ministry”, the Sisters have advanced their “Relief Society Ministry” from the outset of the Restoration:
“The early practice of ministering visits started not long after the Relief Society was established in 1842. As the population of Nauvoo, Illinois, was expanding, Relief Society leaders began to use visiting committees to assess the needs of the members and gather donations of money, food, and clothing to provide aid and relief to the needy.
Although the details of the process have changed since those early days, the principles remain the same—to minister as the Savior would minister.”
This constant visiting, and teaching, and sharing, and testifying in our homes (“Home Centered, Church Supported Worship”) is changing the focus and efficacy of our devotions and interactions. Sundays we meet to take the sacrament, make common plans, and enjoy the "communion of the Saints". But during the week we call, text, e-mail, write, visit, pray for, and in myriad other ways lift up all around us.