All of President Uchtdorf’s words are italicized.
In “You Are My Hands” President Uchtdorf tells this story:
During the bombing of
a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely
damaged. When the townspeople found the
statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of
their faith and of God’s presence in their lives. Experts were able to repair most of the
statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be
restored. Some suggested that they hire
a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent
reminder of the tragedy of war.
Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the
base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”
As Relief Society sisters we taught that “Charity Never
Faileth”. What is charity? We often define it as the pure love of
Christ. What does that really mean? Are we to love Christ purely? Yes, but it is more than that. We are to learn to love each other the way
that our Savior loves us—purely, unfailingly, and completely. As we learn to love others and see them
through the eyes of our Savior, we receive the gift of charity. We must pray for this gift. With
this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward
others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of
Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than
condemn. We are commanded “to mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those
that stand in need of comfort.”…This is the spirit of compassion:
that we love others as ourselves, seek their happiness, and do unto them as we
hope they would do unto us.
Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is
what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for
our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source
of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of
hope. As we extend our hands and hearts
toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to u-s. Our own
spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more
peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read of Elijah and the widow of
Zaraphath. Elijah requested the widow to
use her final meal and oil to make a small cake for him to eat and promised
that if she did, “thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall
not waste, neither shall the curse of oil fail…” In faith this sister heeded Elijah’s request
and “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail,
according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” The
blessing of a miraculous food supply for herself, her son, and the prophet was
only provided after the widow offered a sacrifice to the Lord—a show of faith.
There is a spiritual type for us in this story. If we would receive help of the Lord, we must
first offer a sacrifice to the Lord—evidence of our faith. Knowing our limitations, the Lord requires a “willing
heart”. When we offer our willing heart,
we open the way for the Lord to be our cruse of oil and our barrel of
meal. He never fails. His strength is more than enough to make
right every loss; every hurt; every missed opportunity; every sin on the
condition of complete repentance. Where
our strength, wisdom, or capacity ends, we can be certain that His continues—infinitely
and perfectly.
What can we do to be “His Hands” and show our faith? It is to do His work. This
very hour there are many members of the Church who are suffering. They are
hungry, stretched financially, and struggling with all manner of physical,
emotional, and spiritual distress. They pray with all the energy of their souls
for succor, for relief. [Sisters],
please do not think that this is someone else’s responsibility. It is mine, and
it is yours. We are all enlisted. “All” means all—every [woman in this church], rich and poor, in every
nation. In the Lord’s plan, there is something everyone can contribute.
The prophetic promises
and blessings of Church welfare, of providing in the Lord’s way, are some of
the most magnificent and sublime the Lord has pronounced upon His children. He
said, “If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and
the Lord shall guide thee continually.” Whether we are rich or poor, regardless of
where we live on this globe, we all need each other, for it is in sacrificing
our time, talents, and resources that our spirits mature and become refined. This work of providing in the Lord’s way is
not simply another item in the catalog of programs of the Church. It cannot be
neglected or set aside. It is central to our doctrine; it is the essence of our
religion. Brethren, it is our great and special privilege as priesthood holders
to put the priesthood to work. We must not turn aside our hearts or our heads
from becoming more self-reliant, caring better for the needy, and rendering
compassionate service....As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught, “When the Savior came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the Messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfilment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings.” In a similar way, our spiritual progress is inseparably bound together with the temporal service we give to others…. The temporal is intertwined with the spiritual.
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