Dorothea and Others Like Her

I watched “Middlemarch” while I was working on some projects, and was touched when I heard these closing lines

She had no dreams of being praised above other women, feeling there was always something better which she might have done if only she had only been better and known better.

Her full nature spent itself in deeds which left no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being, on those around her, was in calculable. For the growing good in the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts and on all those “Dorothea’s’ who live faithfully their hidden lives and rest in unvisited tombs.

I am sure those words caught my attention because of thoughts that have been rattling around in my head because of some studying I have been doing. This talk by Elder Uchtdorf has something to do with it all as well. He said it like this:

The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use—in His own way and for His holy purposes—those who incline their hearts to Him.

God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good.

I am finding it hard to figure out how to balance doing good things and keeping my reasons for doing good things in the right perspective. My mortal self keeps getting jumbled up in the mix. Unlike Dorothea, I can’t seem to keep my motives so pure and relinquish some of that desire for praise. And well, that just doesn’t turn out very well.
I am sure there is more to come on this subject as all the voices in my head get sorted out!