HP Lesson - May 2012 - Doing the Right Thing, at the right time, without delay

Teaching for Our Times

Doing the Right Thing, at the Right Time, Without Delay

Jose L Alonso

Learner Readiness

Theme: The Savior … gave us a great example about not waiting to administer relief to those who have lost a sense of happiness and joy.


Remember the fireside on the JST last year?  Tell example of Jesus going to the little down Nain (about 10 miles SW  of Capernaum)   where the son had died.  We can only assume that the mother who was a widow had faith and was praying for help.  Jesus had to get up at 2:00 AM to walk to Nain from Capernaum.  This would have been inconvienient to himself and is disciples.

Luke 7::11-16

Q: How is this an example of doing the right thing, at the right time, without delay?

P. 180-181 of 'The Second Comforter'  The author, Denver Snuffer, gives a story of driving by a truck where the load of drywall had all fallen out. I'm sure we all have had something like this happen to us.  Let's read his account.

Q: Have we had similar experiences?  How do we develop the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, without delay?

My personal experience: I have been so busy at work that I believe I didn't take the time to counsel with my oldest son when he would come by.  Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference but maybe it would have made a difference if I had taken the time right then without delay.

READ A In our day many people are living in the midst of sadness and great confusion. They are not finding answers to their questions and are unable to meet their needs. Some have lost a sense of happiness and joy. The prophets have declared that true happiness is found in following the example and teachings of Christ. He is our Savior, He is our teacher, and He is the perfect example.

READ B His was a life of service. When we serve our neighbor, we help those who are in need. In the process we may find solutions to our own difficulties. As we emulate the Savior, we show our love to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and we become more like Them.

READ C King Benjamin spoke of the value of service, saying that when we are “in the service of [our] fellow beings [we] are only in the service of [our] God.”¹ Everyone has opportunities to give service and show love.

There will be a question the next quote so listen carefully.

READ D President Thomas S. Monson has asked us to go “to the rescue” and serve others. He said: “We will discover that those whom we serve, who have felt through our labors the touch of the Master’s hand, somehow cannot explain the change which comes into their lives. There is a desire to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to live more like the Savior. Having received their spiritual eyesight and glimpsed the promises of eternity, they echo the words of the blind man to whom Jesus restored sight, who said, ‘One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.’”²

Q: According what we just read, what is one of inadvertent spiritual benefits of serving others?

Learner Involvement

READ E Each day we have the opportunity to give help and service—doing the right thing at the right time, without delay. Think of the many people who have a difficult time obtaining a job or who are ill, who feel lonely, who even think that they have lost everything. What can you do to help? Imagine that a neighbor, caught out in the rain with his car broken down, calls you for assistance. What is the right thing to do for him? When is the right time to do it?

[find Ensign article about home teaching and asking the general question]

Q: When someone is drowning, do you ask them if they need help?   Do we have people that we know that are 'drowning' in some way or another?

READ F: I recall an occasion when we went as a family to downtown Mexico City to buy clothing for our two children. They were very young. Our older son was just barely two years old, and the younger son was a year old. The street was crowded with people. While we were shopping, leading our children by the hand, we stopped for a moment to look at something, and without realizing it, we lost our older son! We did not know how, but he was not with us. Without a moment’s delay, we took off running to look for him. We searched and called out for him, feeling great anguish, thinking that we might lose him forever. In our minds we were pleading for Heavenly Father to help us find him.

READ G: After a little while we found him. There he was, innocently looking at toys through a store window. We hugged and kissed him, and we made the commitment to watch over our children diligently so that we would never lose one again. We learned that in order to go to our son’s rescue, we did not need planning meetings. We simply acted, going out in search of the one who had been lost. We also learned that our son never even realized that he was lost.

Q:  Why did Elder Alonso say that we don't need planning meetings when we go to the rescue?

READ H: Brothers and sisters, there may be many who, for some reason, are lost from our sight and who do not know that they are lost. If we delay, we could lose them forever.For many who have need of our help, it is not necessary to create new programs or take actions which are complicated or costly. They only need our determination to serve—to do the right thing at the right time, without delay.

Learner Application

Q: What stops us from see a need and responding quickly? [Fear (come and fear not verse in Alma 7)]

Q: What kind of needs are in our ward? (write them down on the board]

READ J    I know that our Heavenly Father is loving, understanding, and patient. His Son, Jesus Christ, likewise loves us. They render help to us through Their prophets. I have learned that there is great safety in following the prophets. “The rescue” is still going on. President Monson said: “The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion.”⁶

Present the 21 Day Positive Psychology (or, Have a Done Any Good in the World Today)

...a friend sent me a video presentation.... try an experiment for 21 days to see if I could make it a habit.  I propose that we could try this in our group.

[it could be of benefit to some of you have more intention to do spiritual things everyday and to do self evaluation at the end of each day].  You may want to pick one of these to do or all five.  You may want to modify your daily list for your own needs.

1. Write down three things that you are grateful for.
2. Write down one positive experience that happened to you today
3. Exercise everyday.
4. Meditate everyday.
5. Do one random act of gratitude, service or kindness everyday.  Write it down.

The purpose of writing it down everyday is to hold yourself accountable to yourself.  It helps you take it seriously.

The purpose of the 21 Day experiment is to experience a positive shift in our way of thinking.

You assignment, if you choose to accept, is for the next month to do something with intention on a daily basis and to a self evaluation each night to see how you did.

Let's say you chose number 5, do a random act of gratitude, service or kindness and at the end of the day you realize that you haven't done anything.  What are you going to do to stay true to your goal?  The author of this suggested writing a gratitude email to someone you know.

[I have some slips of paper here in the front of the class with these particular five things listed if any of you might want them.]

READ K  We have a responsibility and a great opportunity. There are many who need to once again experience the sweet savor of happiness and joy through activity in the Church. That happiness comes from receiving the ordinances, making sacred covenants, and keeping them. The Lord needs us to help them. Let us do the right thing at the right time, without delay.