Elder Boyd K. Packer has stated, "Some people think a miracle is only a miracle if it happens instantaneously, but miracles can grow slowly and patience and faith can compel things to happen that otherwise never would have come to pass."

“Covenants”, Elder Boyd K. Packer, April 1987

“A covenant is a sacred promise, as used in the scriptures, a solemn, enduring promise between God and man. The fulness of the gospel itself is defined as the new and everlasting covenant (see D&C 22:1; D&C 66:2).

“Several years ago I installed a stake president in England. In another calling, he is here in the audience today. He had an unusual sense of direction. He was like a mariner with a sextant who took his bearings from the stars. I met with him each time he came to conference and was impressed that he kept himself and his stake on course.

“Fortunately for me, when it was time for his release, I was assigned to reorganize the stake. It was then that I discovered what that sextant was and how he adjusted it to check his position and get a bearing for himself and for his members.

“He accepted his release, and said, “I was happy to accept the call to serve as stake president, and I am equally happy to accept my release. I did not serve just because I was under call. I served because I am under covenant. And I can keep my covenants quite as well as a home teacher as I can serving as stake president.”

“This president understood the word covenant.

“While he was neither a scriptorian nor a gospel scholar, he somehow had learned that exaltation is achieved by keeping covenants, not by holding high position.

“The mariner gets his bearing from light coming from celestial bodies—the sun by day, the stars by night. That stake president did not need a mariner’s sextant to set his course. In his mind there was a sextant infinitely more refined and precise than any mariner’s instrument.

“The spiritual sextant, which each of us has, also functions on the principle of light from celestial sources. Set that sextant in your mind to the word covenant or the word ordinance. The light will come through. Then you can fix your position and set a true course in life.

“No matter what citizenship or race, whether male or female, no matter what occupation, no matter your education, regardless of the generation in which one lives, life is a homeward journey for all of us, back to the presence of God in his celestial kingdom.

“Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality.”

“To Love Is to Lift”, LDS.org Blog Staff, February 13, 2017

Everywhere He Went, He Lifted

When Jesus said to “love thy neighbor,” He didn’t mean simply to think nice thoughts about them, to like their Instagram posts, and to engage in friendly small talk at the grocery store now and then. Sure, those things are important. But there’s so much more to it.

To love others, He showed us, is to lift others.

Jesus spent His life “lift[ing] up the hands which hang down.” He gave hope to the hopeless and befriended the friendless. He cared for the sick and fed the hungry. He prayed for those who crucified Him, so selfless was His concern for others.

Everywhere Jesus went, crowds clamored for His time and attention. He never turned them away and said, “Sorry, I have more important things to do.”

When He saw someone who was down, He reached out a hand. He lifted up.

“His life was a legacy of love,” Thomas S. Monson has said. “The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted.”

Someone Needs You Today

That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? Loving others. And not just with our hearts, but with our hands. Not just in word or in feeling, but in deed. To love is to lift.

And though we’ve heard the call to “love one another” a million times already, we still need that reminder every day.

Because life isn’t easy for anyone. There are countless ways it can knock a person down. But if we follow Jesus’s example and lift one another back up, we can make this world a kinder, better place.

Today, we may be the ones standing strong and doing the heavy lifting. Tomorrow, we may be the ones who need the lift—and those we once lifted will lift us.

Lift Here (A Place to Start)

All the flowery talk and good intentions we can muster, though, won’t do any good unless they lead to action. Where do we start? How do we do a better job of following Jesus’s example and lifting others?

As usual, the answer is in the small things. They may not change the world in a day or in a lifetime. But they will move the needle in the right direction.

Be prayerful: Thoughts and prayers alone won’t do the heavy lifting. They’re a great place to start, though. God knows each one of His children’s needs. He also knows each of our unique personalities and abilities. If we ask, He will show us places where “in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see,” where we can do the most good. Ask, then act. 

Be involved: Chances are there are several organizations in your community already dedicated to lifting the lives of others. Seek them out and see how you can help. Resources such as JustServe.org can be a good jumping-off point.

Be present: Service projects and organized initiatives are great ways to make a difference. Yet most chances to love and lift others will come in quieter, less expected ways. We’ll notice them if we’re watching and listening. We would do well to remember that “those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve.” Let’s not get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own entertainment as we go about our days that we fail to notice small opportunities to lift along the way.

Be positive: We can remember that “choosing to say only that which is positive about—and to—others lifts and strengthens those around us.” There’s enough negativity in the world. Help tip the scales in the other direction by keeping interactions positive and loving, whether in person or online.

Be patient: As individuals we can do a lot of good for others, but we can’t do it all—and definitely not in a day. Instead of feeling guilty for all the things we feel like we should be doing to help but aren’t, let’s focus on the few things we can do today. The question to ask is “Have I done any good in the world today?”—not “all the good.”

Love Will Lift Us Higher

We are surrounded by people who desperately need someone to lift them. Some may be friends. Some may be strangers. All are our brothers and sisters.

So let’s try a little harder. Let’s reach out a little farther. Let’s lift a little higher. They are depending on us. God is depending on us, for “we are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children.”

Our individual efforts may seem small—a kind act here, a selfless sacrifice there—but collectively our small efforts can make a big difference in the lives of others. And in the end, those who spend their lives lifting others will themselves be “lifted up at the last day.”

Elder Christofferson's "Advice for When We Feel Our Patriarchal Blessing Will Not Be Fulfilled", by LDS Living | Feb. 16, 2017

“Some of you may have wondered about the value and significance of your life and what the Lord thinks of you. There are things that may have happened or may not have happened in your life. You may worry about parts of your patriarchal blessing that are not yet fulfilled or it seems will not be fulfilled. Please know there is a great deal still to happen in your life before your resurrection. Much more can happen than you expect! Mortal life is not the beginning or the end. The key for all of us is to accomplish all that we can now.

“Remember “the word” that Alma taught us needs to be planted in our heart. He defined “the word” as this central truth: “Believe in the Son of God, that he [has] come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again.” Everything flows from that truth. Prepare good, deep ground for that seed to grow in you. Don’t let the thorns and cares of the world choke it out, but be very fruitful.

Cultivate and apply your talents. Develop your God-given spiritual gifts. Don’t be content with where you are.

“Try new things. Keep going. Remember in the parable of the talents that the reward is the same for the person who increased their five talents to ten and the person who increased their two talents to four: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” It is good to admire a virtuous quality in someone and seek to incorporate it in your life, but don’t compare yourself to others. The Lord simply expects you to be diligent with what you have. Even with a little you can do much. Anything, if you’re diligent, is sufficient.

“Live with gratitude for all that you have—the answers to your prayers, the talents you’ve been given, and the ways the Lord manifests His hand in your life. Be aware and acknowledge His hand and express gratitude. He wants to give you more. Sometimes when I’m not feeling inspired in my prayers, I start with gratitude, thanking God for specific blessings in my life. And then the Spirit comes and brings me closer to God.

“Pray. Spend time with the Lord. Remember that you’re no stranger to your Heavenly Father. He couldn’t love you better. His love is perfect and complete. Don’t worry about lost time and opportunities. Live productively, faithfully, and gratefully. Rejoice in all that’s to come and all that already has. God can make you whole and will grant you, in His time, all that He’s prepared for you and all that He has promised to the faithful.”

CES New Testament Institute Manual

            When Paul declared that we must “suffer with Christ,” he did not mean that we would suffer what the Savior did as part of His atoning sacrifice, but rather that we would go through our own suffering with Him (see Matthew 11:28–30).

Elder Keith R. Edwards of the Seventy explained that approaching suffering in this way allows us to know the Savior better:

            “We can learn spiritual lessons if we can approach suffering, sorrow, or grief with a focus on Christ. Anciently Paul wrote that our suffering may give us an opportunity to know the Savior better. Paul wrote to the Romans:  “‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ [Romans 8:16–17.]

“Now, lest anyone go looking for hardship and suffering, that is not what is taught. Rather, it is the attitude with which we approach our hardships and trials that allows us to know the Savior better. …

           

“As we are called upon to endure suffering, sometimes inflicted upon us intentionally or negligently, we are put in a unique position--if we choose, we may be allowed to have new awareness of the suffering of the Son of God. …

“… We can have a greater appreciation for that which He did, and we can feel His spirit succoring us, and we can know the Savior in a very real sense” (“That They Might Know Thee,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 99–101).

Elder James B. Martino of the Seventy spoke about the meaning of Paul’s words found in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God”:

            “The Apostle Paul taught an interesting lesson only a few years before the Saints in Rome were to face some of the most violent persecution of any Christian era. Paul reminded the Saints that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God’ [Romans 8:28]. Our Heavenly Father, who loves us completely and perfectly, permits us to have experiences that will allow us to develop the traits and attributes we need to become more and more Christlike. Our trials come in many forms, but each will allow us to become more like the Savior as we learn to recognize the good that comes from each experience. As we understand this doctrine, we gain greater assurance of our Father’s love. We may never know in this life why we face what we do, but we can feel confident that we can grow from the experience” (“All Things Work Together for Good,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 101).

From CES New Testament Institute Manual

In Romans 8:29–30, the Greek term translated as predestinate means “to appoint beforehand” and refers to the foreordination some people receive, based on God’s foreknowledge, to follow Jesus Christ and become like Him (see also Ephesians 1:3–4; 1 Peter 1:2).

“Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency, just as foreordination came as a result of righteousness in the premortal existence” (“Foreordination,” True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004],

“I Call you to be a Christian”, Elder Allan Wilkins, BYU-Idaho Devotional, October 18 2011

“In one ward we attended, we observed a couple, Sandy and Nancy, who seemed to know everyone in the ward and were involved in helping them though neither was involved in a calling in which they would be expect them to do so. When we asked Sandy about this he told us an interesting story. At the end of a year when he served as elders quorum president in a BYU ward, his bishop thanked him for his service and told him that he wanted to give others the opportunity to serve so he was recommending that the stake president release Sandy.

Furthermore, he explained, “I’m not going to give you a formal calling, Sandy. But I call you to be a Christian. I call you to notice those who sit alone in church and sit with and get to know them. I call you to walk with those who walk alone and find those who need help and pray for inspiration to see how you or others can help them.”

Sandy explained how awkward it felt initially to put himself forward in those ways. However, he related that this was the most meaningful year of Church service he had ever had. He met people he would never have known and found the Lord inspiring him to see needs he had been unaware of as an elder’s quorum president. He was involved in reactivating several people, doing missionary work as he helped others to change a flat tire, and giving blessings to others in the hospital. His life was full and more meaningful than ever. When they married, he and Nancy had committed they would continue to be Christians thereafter.

Brothers and sisters, we have all covenanted to be Christians. As President Eyring reminded us in the recent General Conference, Alma taught his people that baptism is a covenant to 1) be charitable (for example, “to bear one another’s burdens”); 2) “stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places that ye may be in…”; and 3) to endure to the end in doing these things.

We don’t have to have a “significant” or even a formal calling in the Church to be of service and to live the gospel. Life is so much richer when we learn the great Christian paradox: only those who are willing to lose their lives in the service of the Savior will find themselves. And paradoxically, those who forget themselves in these ways feel more fulfilled as emerging adults.