I thought of this recently when reading Elder M. Russell Ballard's October 2012 conference talk "Be Anxiously Engaged," in which he discussed his father's work with Beehives. "My father always tried to involve me in his work with his hives," said Elder Ballard, "but I was very happy to let him tend to his bees. However, since those days, I have learned more about the highly organized beehive -- a colony of about 60,000 bees." He went on to explain that "It is estimated that to produce just one pound (0.45 kg) of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon."
While one-twelfth of a teaspoon might seem insignificant, Elder Ballard said that "each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees faithfully do their part." This is not unlike the contribution of each man, each plane and each ship to the success of Task Force 58 during World War II.
"All of this symbolism," said Elder Ballard, "attests to one fact: great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands 'anxiously engaged in a good cause' (D&C 58:27), Imagine what the millions of Latter-day Saints could accomplish in the world if we functioned like a beehive in our focused, concentrated commitment to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ."
More "beehives" can be found in the mission field in missions, stakes, wards and branches. The daily activities of a single pair of missionaries may sometimes appear insignificant, but taken with the activities of more than a hundred missionaries they can become powerful, still more so when taken with the activities of tens of thousands of missionaries world wide. But still more 'bees" may be employed in the work as missionaries seek to involve members. As has been noted previously in this blog, the majority of baptisms result from member referrals.
Additionally, we read about church members around the world giving humanitarian service after natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. "But what about our everyday lives," asked Elder Ballard. "What would be the cumulative effect of millions of small, compassionate acts performed daily by us because of our heartfelt Christian love for others? Over time this would have a transformative effect upon all of our Heavenly Father’s children through the extension of His love to them through us. Our troubled world needs this love of Christ today more than ever, and it will need it even more in the years ahead."
Elder Ballard went on to say, "These simple, daily acts of service may not seem like much in and of themselves, but when considered collectively they become just like the one-twelfth teaspoon of honey contributed by a single bee to the hive. There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity."
Many of us dutifully attend our church meetings and work hard in our callings, but what about the rest of the week? Are our minds and our hearts just as anxiously engaged in good things during the other six days, or are we just going through the motions? Are we truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? It is possible even for missionaries to simply go through the motions in their daily activities. So, "How do we take the seed of faith that has been nurtured in our minds and plant it deep in the fertile soil of our souls? How do we make the mighty change of heart that Alma says is essential for our eternal happiness and peace?" (see Alma 5:12-21).
Elder Ballard gave this answer, "Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior’s. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ empowered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellowmen." He then added:
"When
our hearts are no longer set upon the things of this world, we will no
longer aspire to the honors of men or seek only to gratify our pride
(see D&C 121:35-37). Rather, we take on the Christlike qualities that Jesus taught:
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We are gentle and meek and long-suffering (see D&C 121:41).
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We are kind, without hypocrisy or guile (see D&C 121:42).
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We feel charity toward all men (see D&C 121:45).
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Our thoughts are always virtuous (see D&C 121:45).
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We no longer desire to do evil (see Mosiah 5:2).
- The Holy Ghost is our constant companion, and the doctrines of the priesthood distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven (see D&C 121:45-46)."
Once again he asks, "How do we make this change? How do we ingrain this love of Christ into our hearts?" The answer:
"There is one simple daily practice that can make a difference for every member of the Church, including you boys and girls, you young men and you young women, you single adults, and you fathers and mothers. That simple practice is: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible."
He went on to say "President
Thomas S. Monson has taught that in many instances Heavenly Father
answers another person’s prayers through us through you and me -- through
our kind words and deeds, through our simple acts of service and love."
This echoed something President Spencer W. Kimball said: “God does notice us, and he watches
over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our
needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 82).
Missionaries, of course, should be praying multiple times each day for guidance, so that they may be led to those who are ready to hear the gospel.
Elder Ballard's talk can be found here:
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