I want to tell you all about an experience I had last month. One day I decided that all day I was just going to serve others and not focus on myself and what I had to do. So I decided that on my way to campus and to and from classes and work, I would look at everybody that I saw walking past me, and I would keep a prayer in my heart, and pray for everyone that I saw. It was quite an experience for me. I bet I prayed for hundreds of people that day. I don't know how much I helped all of those people, but I hope I did. Sometimes, I didn't even know why when I was praying some random thing would pop into my head. I would look at one person and could tell that they were struggling, and I would pray that they might be strengthened, and I think I looked at one person and prayed that all will be well with her family. I don't know why, that's just what came to my head. I would either look at a specific person, and ask to bless this person who is wearing this color shirt or walking in this building, or whatever… or I would pray for all the people around me as a whole. Can I tell you something, it was sooooo exaughsting!!! It really takes a lot of energy! It felt like I was giving of myself to all these people. Everybody needs a prayer! But it really helped me to be able to just see everyone walking past me as a child of God. I did not have one judgmental thought about anybody that day. It was quite amazing. Usually when I walk past people, I just judge, cause i'm human and thats what we do. I judge them based on what they're wearing, or how they look. But that day I looked at everybody different. There was this girl that was running through campus with her backpack and papers in her hand. Usually I would think that she looked silly running to class or wherever, but that didn't even cross my mind. Right when I saw her I just prayed that she might be able to safely and quickly get to where she needed to go and that everything was going to be okay.
This experience really showed me how Christ sees us and I hope I can do better at loving everyone and helping everyone.
Then later that day, I was walking into choir and I saw my Women's Chorus president sitting outside on a bench. Now, she doesn't really know me. She knows who I am and I've talked to her a few brief times, but I saw her sitting there looking at her phone. It looked like she was crying or something. I thought that I need to go sit next to her, but I was scared to. I walked past her inside the building, but I couldn't go further. I turned around and walked back out. I stopped and took a few breaths, and went and sat down next to her. I didn't even know what to say, I just said hi, and asked how she was. She looks at me and said she's doing good. She looked totally fine! She wasn't crying! She was smiling! Then she said like, "well how are you? what's up? Are YOU doing alright?" I looked at her, and I almost started crying! I thought I was doing okay, but when she asked me, I really had to think if I was okay… and I thought and you know what? I am doing okay, but life is crazy right now. I have my trials, but what I needed at that moment was for her to be genuinely concerned for me. It wasn't just like a normal, "Hey how are you?" She actually cared about my answer. She cared how I was doing. Then she just started talking about everything that was stressing her out with being choir president, and she was concerned about all of these different things. It was really great for me because it was what I needed. I thought that by going and sitting with her, that I would help her out! But I didn't! She helped me out! She made me feel involved and included. She showed me genuine love. When she asked me how I was doing, I realized that I hadn't even thought about myself that day. I was thinking of others all day. That really showed me how Christ was. He never thought about himself even when he had his own trials and struggles. Especially then. That's when he was thinking of us.
That day I learned many things. I learned that first of all God loves all of His children and everyone is struggling. Everyone could use a prayer. Also, it is important to stop and just talk to someone sometimes cause you never know if they or YOU need it. I challenge you guys to just pray for everyone you see one day. It really is quite amazing what can happen. I promise you that you will see Christ in your day. He will show you His love for His children. He will teach you a little bit more about how to become like Him. You will see how exhausting it is to give part of yourself to everyone you see, but it is what Christ did. He prays for every single one of us every day.
I love my Savior and all that He did for me. I hope that I can become more like Him every day.
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