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What Is Your “For Good” You Can Share with the World?
From a devotional address, “A Noble Responsibility for Good,” given to students at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA, on November 2, 2021. For the full address, visit speeches.byu.edu.
We have so much potential to do good in the world.
Photograph by Scott Olson
Have you ever read a sentence that immediately spoke to you? This happened to me about eight years ago when I was called to serve as our stake Young Women president. As I had not participated in Personal Progress as a youth, I decided to complete the eight value projects as a leader. I got my own hard-copy Personal Progress book and began reading in the welcome section—and there was my sentence. The second sentence in the Personal Progress welcome section read, “You have a noble responsibility to use your strength and influence for good.”1
A Noble Responsibility
Consider the phrase “a noble responsibility.” The word noble describes you and me. As a child of God, you are a noble entity. I believe that knowledge must be part of who we are—part of how we see our potential. When we truly understand that we are noble, we should feel capable, inspired, and powerful.
As children of God, we have responsibilities. We are commanded to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). Who are your neighbors? Look around you. Think of your friends and family. And then consider: Who is not represented in your circle? Our neighbors must also include individuals who are not in our circle, those who may be facing discrimination or feelings of not belonging.
With this loving description in mind, consider again: Who is your neighbor?
Our Church doctrine describes our divine responsibilities as “living the gospel of Jesus Christ,” “caring for those in need,” “inviting all to receive the gospel,” and “uniting families for eternity.”2 My focus is on the second responsibility: “caring for those in need.” Whom do you know who is in need? If the first thought that came into your mind was everyone, then you are absolutely correct. We are all in need. Our needs vary, but we need one another.
Strength and Influence
The phrase “strength and influence” directs us to the tools we need to fulfill our noble responsibility to care for others. We need strength—to be strong for ourselves and for others. How do we feel strong and become stronger?
I believe the first step is to truly internalize our nobility and heritage as children of God. There is great empowerment from this knowledge. The second step is to reach out to the Lord and pray for His sustaining strength. The Lord wants us to be strong to carry out our noble responsibilities, so He stands ready to strengthen us. In Isaiah 41:10, we read, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee.” I pray that you will feel the Lord walking hand in hand with you in your life as a constant source of strength. And if you do not feel the Lord next to you, know that He is there—you simply need to reach out to Him.
Let’s jump to talking about our influence. We influence others every day in small and simple ways. Don’t ever believe that you do not have a profound impact or influence in this world. You do—in ways you likely do not fully understand. We should continually be thinking of how we are using our influence.
For Good
When we consider what is meant by “for good,” we get to choose. What a beautiful gift of choice the Lord has given to us!
We then must consider, How do we choose? President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, stated: “We should begin by recognizing … that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.”3
One’s stage of life certainly influences the choice of what is “for good.” In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we learn, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” To me, this verse reinforces our need to be intentional in our decisions while acknowledging the differing seasons in our lives.
We may find that our professional lives influence our “for good.” This is what happened to me. I am a forensic nurse. Over the past 16 years, I have provided nursing care for individuals impacted by violence, primarily caring for people who have been raped. When I first started on this career path, I was horrified at the huge number of individuals suffering these abuses and their lasting trauma. Today, I am still horrified. As I cared for seemingly endless numbers of patients, I thought, “I have to do something to change this.” I started asking questions: What happens to my patients after they leave my care? How many rape cases are prosecuted? What can we learn about these crimes to reduce sexual violence in our society? I found that my questions did not have answers, as we simply did not know. For the most part, it was vital information that was not being tracked or collected.
I became committed to doing research specifically on sexual assault to try to make a difference—to work toward decreasing sexual violence and improving survivor support. My “for good” meant that I had to complete a PhD degree, which was a challenging task with my large family but doable because of the immense support of my wonderful husband, Mark, and the strength I prayed for and felt from the Lord.
I pray for guidance as I conduct research to inform practice and policy. And, more important, I pray for inspiration as I care for my individual patients—“the one.” That inspiration, the guiding thoughts I have received while caring for my patients, has been the most meaningful.
While I am immersed in great trauma and sadness, I am also equally surrounded by tremendous light and beauty. I witness compassion, altruism, caring, dedication, and love in my family, colleagues, friends, and students. In my patients, I ofttimes see resiliency, strength, and hope. In 2 Nephi 2:11, we are taught, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” I have learned to acknowledge both the good and the bad within this world as described in 2 Nephi 2. I believe that “men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). As we act as disciples of Christ, we can foster joy in this world by reaching out to others in love.
I am often asked how I can do this difficult work of caring for individuals impacted by violence. My response is, “How can I not?” I can do this work because I believe that I have a noble responsibility to use my strength and influence for good. My “for good” is working to decrease sexual and intimate partner violence. My “for good” is clear in my mind and guides my daily actions and future goals.
What is your “for good”? Ponder and pray upon this choice at different stages throughout your life. Be intentional in choosing your priorities, actions, and goals. The Lord will be right there by your side to strengthen you. Always remember that the world and the Lord need you.