This week in my Ukrainian class, we were assigned to give a presentation on any Ukrainian topic. After living in Ukraine for 18 months, I grew a deep love for the Ukrainian people and their culture. One thing that I especially love is their devotion to the arts, specifically to literature. In fact, most of the historical figures celebrated in Ukraine are writers, whether of poetry, novels, or operas.
I decided to create a presentation about Lesya Ukrainka, arguably Ukraine's most famous female writer. Born in 1871, Ukrainka was raised by educated parents who taught her the importance of the Ukrainian language and culture. She wrote her first poem at age eight, and was a published poet by age 13. Throughout her life she struggled with tuberculosis of the bones, but she worked through the pain and wrote many works, including dramas, compilations of poems, epics, and essays. She championed the legitimacy of Ukrainian literature in a Russian society, supported Ukrainian nationalism, and created a legacy for Ukrainian women. Her influence is still felt today; every city in Ukraine has a street named after her.
After I presented my information, my professor included a few comments of his own. He remarked that Lesya Ukrainka was doubtless inspired by the Spirit in her work. This simple comment caused me to think about all of the cultural and political achievements that have occurred in world history. Sometimes I think we forget that God inspires good people everywhere to do good things, and we mistakenly assume that only Latter-day Saints are led by the Spirit. This is simply not true. The scriptures teach us that all good things come from God; there are no caveats to that statement. No matter who you are, where you live, or when you live, God can touch your life, and you can be an influence for good in the world.
Because of this knowledge, I have decided to act more quickly when I have a prompting to do good acts. This week, I will try every day to consciously do at least one good thing for someone around me. We each have the ability to create goodness, and we should use this ability every day.
Great post! Very inspiring. I agree that we often assume God is only aware of our little social circle or culture in life, and therefore only inspires a small number of people. However, God is aware of all his children and his influence knows no boundaries, including religion. However as you said, he mostly acts through his children to spread his influence. We can be God's instruments in doing good. Thanks for your post.
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