Sunday School Lesson

My friend Meghan taught a great lesson in Relief Society today that was based off this recent talk:
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1207-23,00.html
I was very moved by many aspects of the talk and these parts in particular that I'd like to share with you:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn.
A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”

and this:

Our Hands Can Serve
An old Jewish legend tells of two brothers, Abram and Zimri, who owned a field and worked it together. They agreed to divide both the labor and the harvest equally. One night as the harvest came to a close, Zimri could not sleep, for it didn’t seem right that Abram, who had a wife and seven sons to feed, should receive only half of the harvest, while he, with only himself to support, had so much.
So Zimri dressed and quietly went into the field, where he took a third of his harvest and put it in his brother’s pile. He then returned to his bed, satisfied that he had done the right thing.
Meanwhile, Abram could not sleep either. He thought of his poor brother, Zimri, who was all alone and had no sons to help him with the work. It did not seem right that Zimri, who worked so hard by himself, should get only half of the harvest. Surely this was not pleasing to God. And so Abram quietly went to the fields, where he took a third of his harvest and placed it in the pile of his beloved brother.
The next morning, the brothers went to the field and were both astonished that the piles still looked to be the same size. That night both brothers slipped out of their houses to repeat their efforts of the previous night. But this time they discovered each other, and when they did, they wept and embraced. Neither could speak, for their hearts were overcome with love and gratitude.8
This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves,9 seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.10

This is a great lesson on compassion in it's entirety but I really liked these quoted stories. As you read these, or the entire article, and whether you have a christian belief or not, I really hope it touches you as it did me about the blessings of knowing and showing compassion. It is my constant inner battle, to be more loving, more compassionate. Wouldn't we all like to be able to serve all the time when you think about it? If you have ever served someone in anyway, the feeling of reward after is better than any good feeling I've ever had before. I am grateful for the blessing of it.