The Nameless Faithful

As I read and listened to Elder Micheal T. Ringwood's talk, Truly Good and Without Guile, two things stood out to me. The first is that I'm not 100% sure I know what the word "guile" means. I looked it up in the dictionary; it means something like cunning or cleverness, especially when used to deceive others. But then, what does it mean to be "truly good and without guile"? Sincerity, perhaps? And what does it mean when King Lamoni was "caught with guile" by Ammon, the Nephite missionary. He hadn't been deceived, but there was some cleverness involved. Yet, there was sincerity as well, so I remain confused.

The second thing that stood out to me, and the one I want to blog about today is what Elder Ringwood said about those who do service outside of their callings.

I honor those who selflessly serve each week in wards and branches around the world by going above and beyond in fulfilling callings. But callings come and go. Even more impressive to me are the many who without formal callings find ways to consistently serve and lift others. One brother shows up early for church to set up chairs and stays after to straighten up the chapel. One sister purposely selects a seat near a blind sister in her ward not only so she can greet her but also so she can sing the hymns loudly enough that the blind sister can hear the words and sing along. If you look closely in your ward or branch, you will find examples like these.

Faithful servants like these often go without worldly recognition. They frequently do the little things that just need doing, whether other people notice them or not. I imagine that these people sometimes wonder whether they're really doing any good at all or if anyone notices or cares how much work they put into doing it.

Right now, I want to share my testimony that God sees and appreciates every good thing we do, even if no one else does. Small acts of service aren't small to God. He cares about the love and thoughtfulness that motivated the acts, rather than the magnitude of the acts themselves.

However, I don't mean to underestimate the effects of those small acts of service. Though many of those who benefit from that service may not notice it or fully appreciate it, some will, and those people will be touched by the thoughtfulness and diligence of those who did that service, and they may be inspired to perform acts of service as well. And even if nobody (besides God) notices the service, the benefits that service provides is real. The beneficiaries may not be perceptive enough to notice it, but the service that good, anonymous people do for them does have a positive impact on their lives.

I think that most people that do good don't get the thanks and recognition they deserve, and I know it can be discouraging to them to think that no one notices them and that they're not really making a difference. But they are, we are, all making a difference, and I promise that there's at least one person who notices that. Elder Ringwood spoke of serving with a diligent and faithful missionary companion who wasn't recognized as such by the other missionaries, perhaps partly because he had never held a position in missionary leadership, as most missionaries eventually do. But as Elder Ringwood got to know this missionary, he wanted to let everyone know how faithful and diligent missionary was.

I shared with my mission president my desire to correct this misunderstanding. His response was, “Heavenly Father knows this young man is a successful missionary, and so do I.” He added, “And now you know too, so who else really matters?”

The truth is that it doesn't matter whether anyone on Earth notices the good we do, as long as one person in Heaven does. God knows about the service you do, even when others don't, and He's grateful for it, even when others aren't. You may not get any thanks or recognition from the people you serve, but you will receive thanks and recognition from Almighty God. No act and no person go completely unnoticed. The world may never know your name, but I'm sure that God will call you by name when He personally thanks you for all the good you have done.