This month’s visiting teaching principle and First Presidency message remind us that in our quest to better ourselves, we need to remember to prayerfully minister to others with love and to rely on the Atonement when we mess up.
Visiting Teaching Principle
To “minister” is to give service, care, or aid that contributes to the comfort or happiness of another. Visiting teaching is about discovering ways to minister to those we visit. Jesus Christ ministered to all—anytime and anywhere. He fed the 5,000, comforted Mary and Martha at the death of their brother, and taught His gospel to the woman at the well. He did it because of His sincere love.
Following His example, as visiting teachers we can come to know and love each sister we visit, remembering that love is the foundation of all we do. When we pray for inspiration to know how to serve her and help her strengthen her faith, “the angels cannot be restrained from being [our] associates.”
Read the full message on lds.org.
Ministering Tip: Show your assigned sister that you care by sending her a text message, calling her on the phone, or writing her a nice note in addition to your monthly visit.
First Presidency Message
“Our responsibility is to rise from mediocrity to competence, from failure to achievement,” President Thomas S. Monson has taught. “Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.”
We often associate the advent of a new year with resolutions and goals. We resolve to improve, to change, to try again. Perhaps the most important way we can try again is by embracing what President Monson has called “the gift of repentance.”
Read the full message on lds.org.
Additional Reading Suggestion: “Choices,” by President Thomas S. Monson