“First observe, then serve”

Linda K. Burton

I loved this cute little saying when I heard it at conference last week.

And it tied right into a group that I have running for work, as well as the Family Home Evening we had this week.

Sometimes in our daily rush of life, we start to run on automatic. Or we get distracted and become absentminded. Or get so engrossed in our own life that we fail to think of others and fail to look for opportunities to serve.

We need to press pause and look around us, take it all in, and look for needs that need to be filled.

Whether it be taking note of someone who needs a smile because it looks like they are having a bad day. Or offering to help someone to make something get done a little faster. Or doing something without being asked a million times. Or just going out of your way to send a quick email, text, or quick visit to someone who may need to be uplifted.

We can’t do any of those things unless we are observing – and seeing where the needs lie. To observe, we need to be in the present (which is what we talked about in family home evening this week – more on that later) and take the time to look past ourselves.

Then we need to put in a little effort – and serve. It’s amazing how good we can make someone else feel – and actually, how good we usually feel after giving this service too.