A Story of Service

I felt it would be good to share my humbling experience today. It's not much, but it was good for me. And for whatever reason, I feel like sharing.

This past weekend I have been really down. I just couldn't seem to pull much of a good mood. I was weighed down by some things and it was really affecting my mood and my attitude. That had continued for most of today.

Then, this afternoon I went visiting teaching. As I was getting ready to go I thought, "great, I'd better put on a fake smile and get this over with." The visit was really good though. I actually ended up having a real smile on my face.

Once we left the appointment, though, my bad mood started to come back. The things I'd been thinking about started to crowd my mind again, and I wanted to go home and be gloomy the rest of the afternoon.

On my way down the stairs, my companion and I met a girl standing by her front door. She had her cell phone to her ear and made a comment on how cold it is. I wasn't sure she was talking to us, but after a minute I realized she was. So I responded back in agreement that it was very cold, and asked her why she wasn't wearing gloves. Her hands, I had noticed, were bright red from the cold air. She said she couldn't find her gloves, and that she had also lost her keys and couldn't get into the apartment.

I guess I took pity because she was cold, or maybe I felt generous because she was friendly. But I invited her to sit in my apartment and warm up until her roommate came home. She took me up on the offer, and we chatted as we walked to my apartment. She was very nice.

When she left, I realized that my mood had improved. I hear all the time that serving others will make our own lives better. I guess it just hadn't sunk in recently. I feel it very strongly right now, though.

I still have things on my mind, and I'm still not at my perkiest, but I feel lighter somehow. I can't help but thank Heavenly Father for giving me an opportunity to serve and, in doing that, help myself.