Change in how I think, feel, see, and interact

Though I haven't yet found someone for the missionaries to teach, setting and working to find someone by a prayerfully selected date has already blessed me with many personal experiences and lessons.  Here are a few I'd like to share . . .


 The first lesson comes from principles behind setting a date.  I like how Brother and Sister Christensen explain Elder Ballard's invitation and promise:

To help us, Elder Ballard has asked us to regularly “write down a date.” He explicitly counseled us that we need not write down a name. Rather, Elder Ballard challenged us to pick a date as a commitment to the Lord. He promised that if we then seek every opportunity to speak about the gospel with as many people as we can, the Lord will bless us by that date to meet someone who will accept our invitation to listen to the missionaries. (link)

Because I've set a date and am committed to all I can do, this is causing me to step out of my comfort zone and initiate many more conversations where I can speak of the gospel. I feel that I need to make every effort, imperfect as most efforts are, to show the Lord that I desire to find someone.  Then, I'm placing my confidence in him helping me find the person he wants to hear the gospel.

The second and third lessons have especially touched me.  I'm learning that by inviting others to come to know Christ, I am coming to know the Savior better myself.  The third lesson I learned from a great exemplar.  He said that in every interaction, he strives to convey his love for the individual as well as God's love to the individual through him.  Wow.  I've thought enormously about that and am striving to develop this as my own personal mantra.


Tying these three together . . .

Whether on the bus, at work, or even conversing among friends at church, I begin to think with increasing frequency: what can I say or do that will allow this person to know the Savior better, feel of his love, and feel of my love?  For those not members of the church, I'll often open up a door to a gospel conversation by saying I spent much of my week working on a church service group.  Many are interested to learn more.  Or, I'll see if I can find a true principle from church that I can express as truth and which would bless someone's life (such as: I've learned through church and my own experiences that the joys and blessings found within the family are greater than joys experienced in work, hobbies, or anywhere else).  I aim to always speak with sincerity of that which I speak about and how it is a blessing.  As the spirit directs I extend invitations appropriate to the situation, which for me is not every conversation.  This perspective, allows me to share the gospel in a much more natural, sincere, and meaningful way.  I'm simply seeking to invite others to come one step closer to Christ.  At the same time, I'm filled with that much more sense of the Savior's love.

This change in how I interact with others (the new mantra explained above) is a tremendous blessing to me, and it becomes ever more a part of me as I actively pursue finding someone for the missionaries to teach by a date I've set.