Forget Yourself & Go to Work!

Sharing is caring!

I know so many of you are Christian, and your dedication to God inspires me continually.  I myself am a Christian.  I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  And right now I need to be practicing the piano accompaniment for our choir performance today, but first I want to share with this with you.

There’s a well-known story by our church’s late prophet and leader Gordan B. Hinckley.  He was a young man, only about 19 or 20 years old, and living in England serving a church mission.

“It was early in his mission, and he was discouraged. The work was hard, and the people were not receptive. However, there came a time when discouragement turned to commitment. For him, the beginning was a letter from his father in which he read: “Dear Gordon, I have your letter. . . . I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work.” 

In describing what happened next, he said: “I got on my knees in that little bedroom . . . and made a pledge that I would try to give myself unto the Lord. “The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. . . . Everything that has happened to me since that’s been good I can trace to that decision made in that little house”

(in Mike Cannon, “Missionary Theme Was Pervasive during Visit of President Hinckley,” Church News, Sept. 9, 1995, 4)

I have been thinking a lot about this story lately, whenever I get frustrated or discouraged that life and responsibilities bog me down.  So when I remembered this story and the message hit me over and over, I wanted a way to be reminded of it always.  I made this print: