Comments on: Paying Our Debts

By: Lili

Lili — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:47:04 +0000

I like that. And I completely agree that score-keeping, even if it’s in an effort to keep up with our end of service, is more counter-productive than anything else.

Maybe you remember Elder Oaks’ first general conference address, Oct 1984, called “Why Do We Serve?” He said,

“People serve one another for different reasons, and some reasons are better than others. Perhaps none of us serves in every capacity all the time for only a single reason. Since we are imperfect beings, most of us probably serve for a combination of reasons, and the combinations may be different from time to time as we grow spiritually. But we should all strive to serve for the reasons that are highest and best.”

He then gave six reasons (but, in some ways, I think we can see Tel, Terre, and Cel spheres there) that people serve. His highest level was love–as you suggest, just trying to lift up others.

By: Pops

Pops — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:32:07 +0000

For most of my life, I’ve broken out in a rash when told that my life must be about service to others. Not that the advice is wrong or bad, just that it reacts with my psyche and experience in a negative way. Lately, however, I’ve come to think of it in a different light. That light is this: it is about blessing the lives of others.

In other words, I don’t need to stress about the debts I owe that I can never repay, nor even pay forward. It’s simply that the purpose of my life is to find ways to bless the lives of others. There’s no balance sheet – just get out there and do what I can to lift up others. (Not that I’m any good at it, just that the idea is appealing and I’m trying to get there…)

[Surely there's a Celestial vs. Terrestrial thing going on here - the latter has learned to refrain from harming others, whilst the former takes the next logical step to being focused on blessing others.]