Who Ministers to the Minister?

I have been feeling down. I felt unappreciated and lonely. I feel disconnected from many whom I love.  The feeling has grown a little each day since the pandemic began.  Much of what I am experiencing is created by a righteous desire to have the company of good people but corrupted by the jealous loneliness that selfish desires manifest. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of selfishness when everything we do needs someone to tell us we are doing a good job.  Once in that trap, it is easy to spiral into discouragement.  Don’t let it happen.  It is good to be appreciated, but that should never be our motivation.   

Last night I expressed my feelings to my wife and felt better afterward.  

Today, I  was shown several instances where I was appreciated and thought about.  

A friend needed someone to talk to. 

A church leader reached out to let me know my contributions were important. 

And a neighbor asked if I would give a blessing to her dying father.  

She felt he was hanging on because he had reservations about the love of God, and therefore she felt he was holding on and needed to be released.  

I pondered all afternoon what I might say is a blessing like this.  How could I accomplish this task?  This year came rolling in my memory as I thought about the bad and the mundane but that throughout it all, the hand of God showed itself.  

Today is November 11, 2020. The year of the pandemic is near closed. There has been so much good, bad, and mundane this year. 

The bad.  In early 2020, we began hearing about this "Chinese Virus" we saw spread throughout Asia, then Italy, then the USA, and the world.  

And then the world shut down.

The shutdown was required, but it was a calamity in itself, bringing turmoil by screeching our economy to a halt.  We watched our government react and contract itself, then react again and contradict itself again, in an ever-growing desire to provide safety to all.  Early on, the people supported the measures taken but quickly began to see the differing opinions pushing against each other.  

Then in June, the nation witnessed police brutality spread across the internet. Similar events are far too common and seem to be racially motivated, at least in part.  But this one went viral, the citizen of the world watched as policemen sat on an arrestee's neck for almost nine minutes. The words, "I can't breathe" are forever etched in my soul.  

Then came the anger.  The protests stating that "black lives matter" erupted nationwide, often becoming violent and at times and evolving into out and out rioting. All for something, we should already know. That we are all members of the SAME race; we are all children of God.

And then the mundane, the days cooped up in a home, without the benefit of human interaction, took its toll on the psyche of many.  The constant video calls helped at first but eventually put an exclamation point that we were becoming disconnected from each other.  Many took for granted the feeling of community was pulled away like a trap door opening, dropping us down to a chasm of isolation. 

This year saw earthquakes, riots, and plagues.  Many of us feel like the wrath of God was being brought down on the inhabitants of the earth.  Others wonder why people even believe in a God because if he is real, how could he let all of this happen?  

But this year, we saw God's hand. 

It came as people served one another, reached out to one another.  The distance shrank when a video call became about service and love.  

When one of my neighbors reached out via email to find anyone who could help a lady she discovered while running. The lady was overwhelmed with a daunting task, and people responded.          

When a prophet of God called for fasting and prayer, people jumped at the opportunity.  When classes were moved online, teachers continued to teach while students continued to learn.  And then later called for a deeper expression of gratitude and prayer people responded again. 

People were inspired to create new connections and new relationships.  Service meant more than just performing a needed work, but became about expressing love.  The most rewarding actions are acts of service.  

An example of this is found in the entire healthcare profession.  They have sacrificed time with family to not infect them as these workers care for those ravaged by this disease. 

As we arrived at the home of my neighbor's father, my heart began beating.  Trying to provide the proper words to a dying man was out of my league. But the idea that God often works through his children rose to the surface.  The concept that the hand of God is often the hand of a friend, neighbor, and sometimes a stranger.  

I spoke words that I hoped would help, and the tears came forth as I spoke.  This dying man, who can no longer speak, seemed to tell me, spirit to spirit, I did just fine.  And I left feeling blessed that I could step away from my self and serve another.  

In a Facebook post, I asked a simple question.  When someone spends their time ministering to others, who ministers to the minister?  

The answer is simple, the minister is served by those he ministers just as the minister is serving them.  

If 2020 has taught me anything, it is that humankind is not meant to live isolated from each other, all working out their own salvation in a vacuum.  

Angels do visit this mortal existence.  But I am sure that mortals can and do act as messengers.  I have had messages delivered by others that I know came only from God.  Sometimes, it is what they say and others what they do, but these messengers were angels to me.  From my parents and family and friends to strangers, one of God's greatest miracles is that he often does his work through his children. 

We are just a mortal form of Angel when we serve each other.  

I don’t think we stand at the judgment bar of God and account for only ourselves.  I believe the Savior will ask us something like, “who did you bring with you”?