respect your elders
about a month ago, i received unexpected and uninvited news. i am still wrestling with the outcome of this change in my life.
charlotte and i were asked to go to the stake center to meet with a friend of mine who is a counselor in the stake presidency. i really had no idea what they could possibly want with me, but the formality of the meeting assured me that it wasn't anything to do with a tee time.
i was informed that a change was being made in the bishopric in our ward, and our bishop had requested that i act as one of his counselors. i can assure you that this was close to the last thing that i expected to come out of his mouth. i didn't know how to react, so for a while, i didn't. when i could think of something to say, what erupted from my lips was "so, what do i have to do?" after discussing what would be expected of me (including the dreaded "wearing of the suit") charlotte gave her approval when asked. i said, "well, of course i will do it, although i am going to need alot of help and training." i was assured that i would have ample opportunities for instruction and guidance.
i was quite upset over this change for a while. i am not one to tell a priesthood leader that i am not willing to accept a request to serve the Lord; but, i was certainly not pleased with the situation:
1. i already had a calling in church that i loved and i didn't want to jeapordize that position. i taught seminary last year, and it was the best calling i have ever had in the church. i am no longer allowed to teach this class. someone else has replaced me.
2. i am not one who seeks church leadership. too often, people think that if you are in a position of leadership in the church that you must be overly pious, doctrinally omniscient, and perpetually ready with the paramount in problem-solving perspective. i am none of these things.
3. in order to be in a bishopric, i had to be ordained a high priest. this was, perhaps, the biggest blow. i enjoyed being an elder. i have always considered the elders to be the guys in the ward that really get things done. need a service performed? call the young guys, they'll get it done. how's that family doing? i don't know, ask the elder's quorum president. your kid is sick? call the elders, they'll be right over to give a blessing. i know that the high priests and the relief society do these things, too. i am just telling you how i have always seen things.
4. i was an elder's quorum president in the past, and i really enjoyed that position. obviously i'll never do that again.
5. the last thing that i can think of that concerned me was the make-up of our ward. there are not alot of young couples in our ward. subsequently, there are not alot of elders in our ward. i was concerned that by taking two of the active members of the elder's quorum and making them high priests, we would be further weakening what i perceived to be a struggling organization. goes to show what i know. in the last 5 weeks 5 new, young couples have moved into our ward. i understand there is another family coming in the next few weeks. lucky thing the Lord is in charge. it is abundantly obvious that left to my own devices, i would run things into the ground.
so far, this calling is nice. people seem to be excited for me -exactly WHY- i can't say...but excited, nevertheless. i feel the desire to talk to people i have only nodded to in the past. this behavior is good for me, as i am more desirous of isolation in my natural state. umm, i'm not sure what else, at this point.
the down side is that it seems like more meetings than anything else. as elder's quorum president, we went out two nights a week and visited people we felt needed to be visited. maybe they hadn't been home-taught in a while; maybe we knew they were going through a difficult time; or maybe they just were people we felt could use a visit from us. i enjoyed this kind of service. it made me feel like i was doing something important and making a personal difference to the individual. i'm sure we will do these kinds of activities also; but, usually my nights out involve being up at the church building, being seen, shaking hands, attending the meetings going on up there, and putting out small fires. that's o.k., and i know it makes a difference to people to have me around because they are misled into thinking that i am someone important based solely on my current calling; but it isn't what i would choose to do with my time.
my solace is that i know as long as i am doing what the bishop asks of me, i am doing what the Lord needs me to do at the time. i can do that.
charlotte and i were asked to go to the stake center to meet with a friend of mine who is a counselor in the stake presidency. i really had no idea what they could possibly want with me, but the formality of the meeting assured me that it wasn't anything to do with a tee time.
i was informed that a change was being made in the bishopric in our ward, and our bishop had requested that i act as one of his counselors. i can assure you that this was close to the last thing that i expected to come out of his mouth. i didn't know how to react, so for a while, i didn't. when i could think of something to say, what erupted from my lips was "so, what do i have to do?" after discussing what would be expected of me (including the dreaded "wearing of the suit") charlotte gave her approval when asked. i said, "well, of course i will do it, although i am going to need alot of help and training." i was assured that i would have ample opportunities for instruction and guidance.
i was quite upset over this change for a while. i am not one to tell a priesthood leader that i am not willing to accept a request to serve the Lord; but, i was certainly not pleased with the situation:
1. i already had a calling in church that i loved and i didn't want to jeapordize that position. i taught seminary last year, and it was the best calling i have ever had in the church. i am no longer allowed to teach this class. someone else has replaced me.
2. i am not one who seeks church leadership. too often, people think that if you are in a position of leadership in the church that you must be overly pious, doctrinally omniscient, and perpetually ready with the paramount in problem-solving perspective. i am none of these things.
3. in order to be in a bishopric, i had to be ordained a high priest. this was, perhaps, the biggest blow. i enjoyed being an elder. i have always considered the elders to be the guys in the ward that really get things done. need a service performed? call the young guys, they'll get it done. how's that family doing? i don't know, ask the elder's quorum president. your kid is sick? call the elders, they'll be right over to give a blessing. i know that the high priests and the relief society do these things, too. i am just telling you how i have always seen things.
4. i was an elder's quorum president in the past, and i really enjoyed that position. obviously i'll never do that again.
5. the last thing that i can think of that concerned me was the make-up of our ward. there are not alot of young couples in our ward. subsequently, there are not alot of elders in our ward. i was concerned that by taking two of the active members of the elder's quorum and making them high priests, we would be further weakening what i perceived to be a struggling organization. goes to show what i know. in the last 5 weeks 5 new, young couples have moved into our ward. i understand there is another family coming in the next few weeks. lucky thing the Lord is in charge. it is abundantly obvious that left to my own devices, i would run things into the ground.
so far, this calling is nice. people seem to be excited for me -exactly WHY- i can't say...but excited, nevertheless. i feel the desire to talk to people i have only nodded to in the past. this behavior is good for me, as i am more desirous of isolation in my natural state. umm, i'm not sure what else, at this point.
the down side is that it seems like more meetings than anything else. as elder's quorum president, we went out two nights a week and visited people we felt needed to be visited. maybe they hadn't been home-taught in a while; maybe we knew they were going through a difficult time; or maybe they just were people we felt could use a visit from us. i enjoyed this kind of service. it made me feel like i was doing something important and making a personal difference to the individual. i'm sure we will do these kinds of activities also; but, usually my nights out involve being up at the church building, being seen, shaking hands, attending the meetings going on up there, and putting out small fires. that's o.k., and i know it makes a difference to people to have me around because they are misled into thinking that i am someone important based solely on my current calling; but it isn't what i would choose to do with my time.
my solace is that i know as long as i am doing what the bishop asks of me, i am doing what the Lord needs me to do at the time. i can do that.
posted by cm at 7/13/2006
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