I love how you say that we're all the same as the Prophet Joseph, just seeking truth. I think it's easy to put the prophets or early Saints etc. up on a pedestal, but they go through the same processes of revelation and have the same opportunities and access to heaven that we do.

This might not seem hard to anyone else, but the Spirit prompted me a few months ago to sign up to bring a meal to someone who recently had a baby that I did not know well. I am not the most confident in the kitchen, for a variety of reasons, and I was even more nervous because I've typically only brought meals to friends in the past, people I'd feel comfortable going into their home with something I made. I'd never been to this family's apartment, and I'm extremely bad at finding addresses in apartment buildings. Plus, it was a stormy day (very unusual for where I live) and a huge haboob (dust storm) threatened to ruin the meal. I trusted the prompting I'd received and was able to deliver the meal. I don't think it was a standout for that family in any way, but it was good for me to recognize that I can go out of my comfort zone, especially when supported by the Spirit. No grand results happened except me starting to gain trust in myself.

@Stephanie Bundrock ❤️ I am taking baby steps towards being more service-oriented!

I know this was posted awhile ago - I've been thinking about it a lot, though, and I feel like I have what I want to say. President Nelson's continual focus on the gathering of Israel healed my heart. In my late teens and early 20s, especially when I was single, I really struggled with feeling like a second-class citizen in the Church because I did not serve a mission (neither did my husband, interestingly enough, yet he did not seem to have even 10% of the same struggle, even though I think typically the men feel more guilted about it than the women...). Part of this is comparing to my twin sister, who had a basically perfect mission that she's still obsessed with, but it was more than that. I really felt like everyone would look at my life and that of an RM and say that I did not sacrifice enough/as much. But President Nelson repeatedly emphasized that anything we do on both sides of the veil to bring people to Christ "counts" as gathering Israel. As I expanded my definition and recognized the good I was doing or could be doing, I realized that the comparison/judgment of myself was actually getting in the way. I'm definitely still working on it, but now when people make comments about missions, instead of feeling personally wounded, I recognize the value in their comment and the truth in myself: I am helping God in His work in MY way. Thank you, President Nelson!

Yes

@Stephanie Bundrock thank you! I like the idea of loving ourselves being a commandment + keeping it helping us to love God and others better.