Listen carefully to the many testimonies of those around the world who have been led into the fellowship of the Community of Christ. The richness of cultures, the poetry of language, and the breadth of human experience permit the gospel to be seen with new eyes and grasped with freshness of spirit. That gift has been given to you. Do not fail to understand its power. It is for divine purpose that you have been given the struggles as well as the joys of diversity. So must it always be in the peaceable kingdom. Do not be defined by the things that separate you but by the things that unite you in Jesus Christ. —Doctrine and Covenants 162:4a–b, 5a
When I think about a life of service, I think about Mother Teresa. She is known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She was born in Albania on August 26, 1910, and passed away September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to serving the poor. Mother Teresa and the other members of the Missionaries of Charity take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They vow to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor in Calcutta, India.
“Today, I learned a good lesson,” she once said. “The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food, and health.”
This humble Christian woman has been an inspiration to me. I have long admired her conviction, her lifetime of service, and her devotion to the Lord. She was a person of great courage and a person of peace, exemplifying the ministry of Christ throughout her life. According to former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, “She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world.”
She often spoke of service, and once said, “We can do no great things—only small things with great love.” I have often quoted this saying, reminding myself that whatever small thing I may do for others, it must always be done with great love.
When I think of my journey as a disciple, I am reminded of a hymn, “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling” by Daniel March:
Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting,
who will bear the sheaves away?
Loud and long the Master calls you;
Rich reward He offers free.
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, Oh Lord send me”?
