A Christ-focused community

“We’re not a group of perfect people who do perfect things together. We are, or should be, simply doing our best to love those around us.”

I recently visited the Church’s website, ChurchOfJesusChrist.org, and somehow landed on a page designed for visitors. I took a few minutes to scroll down and found a couple of messages that struck me.

“We’re a Christ-focused community, doing our best to love and serve others.” This doesn’t say we’re a group of perfect people who do perfect things together. We’re not the most talented, the smartest, or even the people who have all the answers to all the questions of the world. We are, or should be, simply doing our best to love those around us.

Stepping out of ourselves to serve others is both one of the easiest and one of the most difficult things to do. And it’s a bit of a circle – if we love someone, we naturally want to serve them. And when we serve others, we are very likely to come to love them. Following the example of Christ, it’s hard to have one without the other.

What am I doing to reflect that statement?

“We have programs for every age and stage of life. Each helps our members live happier, more fulfilling lives.” The programs that so many of us are supporting have two primary outcomes — happiness and fulfillment – and this happens for both those who administer the programs and those who take part. Callings are necessary to keep us all moving forward on the path to our Heavenly Father.

In the midst of all the hard work to make others’ lives happier and more fulfilling, do we take the time to consider how we can be happier and more fulfilled?

“Church isn’t just a place to worship God; it’s also a place to serve Him. And one of the best ways to serve God is by taking care of the people around us.” I grew up in the church, and I have a lifetime of seeing my family and close friends take care of each other, in all kinds of circumstances. When we have moved around the world we have always had the church to help us land, providing a ready-made community that can help us settle, make new friends.

I’ve watched as members of my ward swoop in when families are in need of help, or individuals need support. When I’ve had difficult times, I’ve received notes and care packages to help me get through. Even simple inquiries on how I’m doing have made a difference.

What am I doing to help take care of those around me?

Recently I’ve had conversations with some young adults who have questions — lots of them. In one conversation I took the time to step back, away from the specifics we were discussing, and talked about a few of these overarching, big-picture ideas: Why do I go to church? Why do I believe in the gospel? Why do I spend so much of my time and resources on my callings? These ideas that the Church so concisely explains on its website were what I responded with:

My testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ is made stronger by loving and serving others. Here is a place where I can feel the love of my Heavenly Father through others, and I can make a difference in the lives of the people around me.

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Sister Karla Holland serves as secretary in the Graham Oaks Relief Society presidency.