Exalted or Exhausted

 On Sunday I was taking notes during Sacrament meeting and attempted to write down this quote from Marion G Romney.  "Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made."  But when I typed it into my phone, it autocorrected exalted to exhausted. 

It made me laugh because there are times when service can indeed leave me feeling exhausted.  I pondered on what makes it exalting and what makes it exhausting.  

Exalted means to lift higher, to a more noble character.  I think that means focusing more on the spiritual principles than necessarily the temporal presentation of the service.  It also means aligning it with our own abilities, and availabilities.  

Kathleen Hughes counseled, "Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Let’s simplify. The message of a good lesson comes through spiritual preparation. Let’s put our focus on the principles of the gospel and on the material in our study guides. Let’s prepare to create an interesting exchange of ideas through discussion, not through extra, invented work that makes us so weary we come to resent the time we spend in fulfilling our callings."

Sometimes we spend more time planning and worrying about service than it will actually take.  We don't always need a meeting and a written plan.  Sometimes we just need to be prompted and act. 

Sometimes it means sharing the load.  Maybe that means praying and asking who can help me help.  This week I received this text from a coworker:

"Hey there! Would you want to do a meal together for Kelsey? I don’t think I can do a whole meal by myself, but I could add sides to your chicken chili. I could do cornbread, salad and dessert."

I applaud her willingness to ask if we can share.  It lightened my load as well and allowed us to come together in service. 

 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland quoting scripture said: “It is not intended that we run faster than we have strength. … But [in spite of] that, I know … many of you run [very,] very fast and that [the] energy and emotional supply sometimes registers close to empty."

So what do we do then? One way is to be sure we also know and seek that which fills us.  

But another is to set limits and boundaries.  For me that means one item per line on my planner.  I need that physical reminder.  If the lines are full, I know that it won't be wise for me to take on more.  So then I see if I can schedule it for later, or politely decline.  

Finally, find the joy.  Take a quiet moment to check in with the Lord at being part of His team.  Recognize that as we follow Him and learn to truly love others with no expectations or score keeping we will slowly be lifted to higher character.  We can recognize the well-earned rest after being anxiously engaged in meaningful service.  Then will come that greater light, most often as tiny glimpses and moments of understanding at what exaltation will one day be.