Will All This Vacuuming Save My Soul?

My vacuum friend.

• Religion is in the "business" of saving souls, bringing people to Christ.  I have always been particularly fond of our religion - aside from my solemn testimony - I love its teachings of kindness, humility, and inclusion - among other things.

Our church uses its members as building caretakers (custodians) with each ward taking a month in rotation to clean.  June is our ward's month.

And there I was, vacuuming again.  I'm always so reluctant for The Husband to go off without me on Saturday so every time he signs up to clean the building, I tag along.  And I've vacuumed church buildings more times than I can count.

So, I wonder.  Am I getting points in heaven for vacuuming the Lord's house?  Does anyone care that the church has had windows (and glass doors) cleaned, bathrooms done, garbage emptied and yes, all those miles of carpet vacuumed?

• And I wanted to share this quote from David Batty that I read in the Ensign (Jeffry Holland quoted Mr. Batty).  I find comfort in those words, though they're pretty similar to other words I've heard on the subject many times.  I'm grateful for hope.

You may be in the middle of your deepest problems today. Just like Paul, you can choose to “set your hope on God.” Hope is not a feeling—it’s not a tidal wave of joy in the middle of a problem.

You may be in despair and see no hope of change in your situation. Hope is not the magic wand that makes the problem disappear. Hope is the lifeline that can keep you from being overwhelmed by the storms in your life.

When you place your hope in Jesus, you place your confidence in His promises that He will never leave you or forsake you—that He will do what is best for you. Even though you may be in the middle of a huge problem, hope enables you to be at peace, knowing that Jesus is with you every step of the way.