Willing or Wanting????

A few weeks ago, I planned on attending an enrichment meeting for Relief Society. A day prior to the meeting, I had a message on the answering machine asking if I could substitute for the pianist at enrichment. "ARGH!" I thought. I don't really WANT to play for this. I am OK at playing the piano, but I need to practice the hymn A LOT before I feel comfortable accompanying a crowd. But, I decided I should help them out and play. The song wasn't too hard and I'd just get there early to practice it a few times through.

So, I did just that. I got there early. But, to my dismay, they decided to sing a different hymn. A MUCH more DIFFICULT hymn. One that I knew would just be a disaster. "I REALLY don't want to do this" I was thinking. But, I stuck it out and practiced the hymn anyways. True to my prediction, all four verses of the song were rocky, at some points just playing the top hand. I did my best, felt really stupid, and went to my seat where people told me "I did fine!" Oh please!

As always in life, I was meant to learn from this embarrassing experience. I sat down and listened to a nice talk. The theme at the enrichment was service (OF COURSE!). The speaker said something that has been on my mind for the past few weeks, and so I thought I would share. She posed the thought "WILLING to serve? Versus WANTING to serve?"

When you are called into the bishop's office to receive a new calling, do you say "Yes, Bishop, I really WANT to be the relief society president." Most people probably don't necessarily WANT that calling, but they are WILLING to take on the calling and do their best. We don't always want to serve others. It's usually inconvenient -- no it's ALWAYS inconvenient. It may put us out of our comfort zone. It will take time away from our busy schedules. But, in the midst of all those negatives in life, we still feel the need to serve, and we are WILLING to do it. It is my hope that I will someday (hopefully soon) change from just willing. It's good to be willing to serve -- don't get me wrong here-- but actually wanting to serve is the next step up. Wanting to serve and looking for opportunities to do so. That is my aspiration. So the next time I get "that" phone call -- I will not dread it but be excited to help.

Serving others is the best way to brighten your day. With such benefits, why would one NOT serve?