Visits Martha & Mary

Mary and Martha's relationships and service to Christ are interesting. In the student manual I really like this piece of a quote: "He had more to give them [Mary and Martha] than they could possibly provide for him." They both loved the Savior and wished to serve him in their full capacity anyways. However, they did so in different ways. Martha was more about providing Christ with living accommodations than Mary. When I am reading about this, I for some reason thought about Home Teaching and service to other members of one's ward. If someone you home teach or know in the ward has to have surgery or is unable to provide meals for their family for some reason, people will often step up and cook meals for them. They might even do this for some extended period of time. Obviously, this is a great service and the people receiving the service can feel that they are thought about and loved. Now when we think about Mary's service to the Savior, it is a slightly different approach. Mary concentrated more on developing a relationship with Him. She showed appreciation for everything he did, and for the gospel he preached. Mary was a companion to Christ. Now back to relating this to Home Teaching and service within the ward. We can watch out for each other physically, but Mary's service encompasses this and more. By truly being a friend to those we Home Teach and others that are in our ward family, we can provide a higher service, a more spiritual service. These are our spiritual brothers and sisters, so why shouldn't we provide them with spiritual service? I haven't always been the best home teacher, but when I have been consistent, I have had great experiences. Additionally, when I have had good home teachers, it has made an impact in my life. I am motivated to be a better person because I know someone cares about how I am doing spiritually, other than the Bishop. My current home teacher always says hi to me and shows incredible genuine interest in my well being. He also offers physical service, but I am impacted more by his compassionate companionship. I am often not very good at expressing gratitude for things like this, but someday I hope to tell him how much his spiritual service has impressed me.