Doing Good to Others!

Teaching our children Service at a young age was very important to Jeff and I. We prayed daily that they would have kind and compassionate hearts. We tried to come up with different ways in which our family could serve. It has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives.
 As our kids are now adults, I watch them interact with Others, I am amazed at the level of concern and compassion that they have, and my heart is full of gratitude. They got it, they got the lessons that we tried so hard to teach. It just does your heart good as a parent, to see your kids grow up and make such a GOOD and BIG difference in the world. They truly love Others!

When I read this sweet story from a book called "To The Rescue ", I realized that this Mother in the story was trying to teach the very same lesson.

"Sunday dinner was a big event in the Monson home.

"Every Sunday Gladys would prepare a plate of food for Old Bob; before the family sat down to dinner, she would send Tommy off with the plate. One Sunday he asked, “Why don’t I take it down later?”
"His mother responded, “You do what I say, and your food will taste better.”
"He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he headed off for Old Bob’s, waiting anxiously as aged feet brought his neighbor to the door. Bob reached for a dime to reward the delivery boy. “Oh, Mr. Dicks,” said Tommy, “I wouldn’t want to take your money. My mother would tan my hide.”
“My boy, you have a wonderful mother,” Bob said as he patted Tommy’s blond hair."

"When Tommy got back, his dinner did taste better. “I didn’t realize,” he recalls, “I was learning a most powerful and important lesson about caring for those less fortunate.”

 

"Why does our happiness increase when we help others find happiness? How can parents help their children learn this truth?"

 

"When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated."