LDS Ministering Printable: First Observe, Then Serve

The June Visiting Teaching Lesson is The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Minister

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

“And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20: 25-28)

Jesus was certainly the perfect example of serving those in need. There are countless examples of His service in the scriptures, but my favorite of all is when He washes the disciples’ feet. It is such a powerful reminder that it doesn’t matter who we are, we should be ministering to others.

The quote that stood out to me the most in this lesson was “First observe, then serve” by Linda K. Burton. It reminded me of the way my friends, family, and Relief Society took care of me during my three pregnancies. I was so sick I couldn’t even function, yet I didn’t want to be some sort of charity case, so I was determined not to ask for help. Fortunately for me, I had many people in my life who listened to the Spirit, observed, and then served (whether I liked it or not!).

One friend in particular really knew how to observe and then serve during my difficult pregnancy. You can read more about that here (plus find another printable with the same quote!): A Model for Christlike Service: 3 Steps to Serving Others with More Compassion

Since then, I have always tried to do the same. I know most people are like me and will never ask for service and will generally tell you they’re fine if you ask if there is anything you can do to help them. And don’t we ask that at the end of every Visiting Teaching appointment? And isn’t the same answer given 99% of the time? Well, stop taking no for an answer and start looking around and observing how you can serve your sisters. Everyone is in need of some sort of service, and if we just open our eyes, we will know what it is.

Because that quote struck me so much this month, that is what I used for the printable. If you enjoyed President Monson’s quote about being the Lord’s hands here on earth with a mandate to serve others, that same quote was also used in the February Visiting Teaching Message, and I used it on that printable. You can find it by clicking here: Be the Lord’s Hands Here on Earth printable.

All images are 5×7 to be used in the picture frame I gave my visiting teaching sisters at the beginning of the year.

CLICK HERE to download from box.net.