Losing yourself in the noise of the world is easy. Every day we are surrounded by voices clamoring for our attention: obligations, distractions, fears, desires. In the midst of that clamor, we rarely remember what truly sustains the soul: taking care of ourselves, serving, loving God, and following the Savior. That simple counsel becomes a beacon, a clear guide to keep us from being lost in the storm. Because caring for ourselves is not selfishness; it is recognizing that we are children of a loving Father and that our life is a sacred gift that must be protected and cultivated.
The wise counsel of the Master resounds with power: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). And then He adds: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Here lies the root of all meaningful existence: love God, love others, and love ourselves in the right way. To care for oneself does not mean to lock oneself away in selfishness, but to recognize that in order to serve purely it is necessary to be firm, strengthened, and at peace within one’s own being.
Jesus showed that self-care and service are not opposites, but inseparable companions. He withdrew to pray, sometimes in solitude, seeking the strength of the Father before healing, teaching, or lifting the downtrodden. That act teaches that one who wishes to serve first needs to be renewed by divine light. To neglect the soul or the body in the name of sacrifice may seem noble, but sooner or later fragility will overtake us. That is why the counsel to always care for oneself carries a spiritual shade: watching over physical health, but also over the purity of thoughts, the serenity of the heart, and the clarity of faith.
Service is the natural consequence of a heart touched by God. It is not a cold duty, but a living joy. “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). These words remind us that every act of kindness —a smile, a discreet help, a silent sacrifice— has an eternal echo. To be service-minded is to reflect in the everyday what Christ taught in the sublime. It is to wash the feet of the weary, as He did; to stop on the road to lift up the wounded, as in the parable of the good Samaritan; it is to give of what we have without expecting reward, because the reward is already written in the heavens.
To love God is the root and the strength that sustains all other virtues. That love is not expressed only in words or in songs, but in daily obedience, in the humble willingness to do His will even when it hurts or when we do not understand the purpose. “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). To love God is to trust Him when everything falls apart, to thank Him when the heart sings with joy, to recognize His hand in both the great and the small, in the life that beats and in the breeze that caresses. It is a love that transforms, that gives meaning, that ignites hope even in the darkest days.
To follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ is not a symbolic aspiration, it is a real path. He Himself declared: “Follow me” (Luke 18:22). And that “follow me” was not only for the apostles, but for every man and woman who longs to live with purpose and truth. To follow Him means to take up the cross, as He said on another occasion: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). It is not a comfortable path, but it is the only one that leads to true peace. The example of the Savior teaches us to forgive the offender, to pray for those who curse us, to love our enemies, to live without grudges. It is an example that lifts humanity to the divine.
In a world where anger, selfishness, and ambition seem to govern, the counsel to care, to serve, to love, and to follow the Lord is more than a reminder; it is an act of spiritual resistance. Resistance to the temptation to forget who we are, resistance to the despair that seeks to extinguish faith, resistance to the vanity that corrupts humility. To be service-minded in times of individualism is countercultural, it is to demonstrate that there are still hearts willing to give. To love God in times of doubt is to lift a torch in the darkness. And to follow Christ amid so many contrary voices is to affirm that truth does not change, even though the world does.
The apostle Paul exhorted: “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). That vision elevates every common action —working, serving, speaking, even resting— to a sacred act, because it is done with God in mind. Thus, caring for oneself is not trivial, but honoring the temple that is our body. Serving is not a burden, but a divine privilege. Loving is not just feeling, but obedience and faithfulness. And following the Savior is not only imitation, but transformation.
The Lord Himself assured: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). There lies the secret: rest, peace, purpose. Not a passing rest, but eternal rest. Whoever follows that perfect example is not spared trials or pain, but receives strength to endure them. They learn that life is not measured in material success, but in spiritual faithfulness. They understand that the true triumph is to come to love as He loved, to serve as He served, to obey as He obeyed.
And indeed, to care, to serve, to love, and to follow are not four separate roads, but one same path walked with firm steps. It begins with caring for the heart, cleansing it of resentments, feeding it with faith. Then comes serving those around us, not measuring whether they deserve it or not, but because service is a reflection of our divine identity. To love God with all that we are, offering each day as a sacrifice. And finally, to follow the Savior, step by step, with stumbles and falls, but with our eyes fixed on Him, knowing that His grace covers our weaknesses.
The prophet Alma taught that “there must be a change, a mighty change in your hearts” (Alma 5:12). That change is what living according to this counsel produces. It changes the way we see pain, it changes how we face the future, it changes the essence of who we are. For to care for oneself is not just to prolong life, it is to prepare it for eternity. To be service-minded is not just to help, it is to reflect the Savior. To love God is not only to obey, it is to surrender completely to His will. And to follow Christ is not just to believe in Him, it is to become a true disciple.
Whoever chooses to live this way discovers that life takes on a different brightness. Daily work is no longer an empty routine, but a field of service. Family ceases to be only a blood tie, and becomes a mission of love. Pain ceases to be an enemy, and becomes a silent teacher. And death is no longer a dark end, but a luminous door to the promised fullness.
That simple counsel —take care of yourself, be service-minded, love God, and follow the Savior— is more than a phrase. It is a map to keep from getting lost, a reminder of what is essential, an echo of the divine voice that always calls us. If we follow it sincerely, not only will we change ourselves, but we will be instruments to change the world around us. For the light of Christ, when it shines in one heart, inevitably illuminates those nearby. And when that light multiplies in many, the darkness of the world has no power to extinguish it.
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