There are lots of things I love about church. I love that it gives me a chance, every week, to try to put my priorities straight. And to put Jesus in them.
To re-evaluate how life is going. Again and again.
A Church Community
And I love that it gives me a chance to connect with a community. All of us imperfect people gathering with a chance to “see” each other and serve each other. A reminder that that is what Jesus would do.
Do I agree with every comment made at church? Not all the time. Do I see life from the same vantage point? Nope. Not even in this little spot in the desert with a large percentage of people in my faith. But that’s what I LOVE. We’re all different. And because of that, it gives us such a great opportunity to learn. To become more humble as we listen and learn to love more.
A Chance to Serve
I love that people are called to serve in different capacities at church because man, you learn a lot through service. You’re trying to give it away, yet it comes back to you.
It could be anything from serving in the nursery with the babies, speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday even when you’re nervous, ministering to someone you may never know otherwise, or being the ones in charge of figuring out how to help the rest of the congregation in their journey to love and grow.
None of it is paid. And not a lot of it is comfortable.
We just get to serve each other. And even when our callings are big and time consuming, stressful or mundane, we grow.
New Leaders at Church
Why bring this all up right now? Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot because last Sunday we got a new bishopric in our church congregation. This is where Dave has been serving for the last few years. It has been a lot of work. It has been time consuming and uncomfortable and far from convenient at times. He has worked with the young men ages 14-16 as well as with so many other ward members. And when he got released along with these other good men last week, it gave us both a chance to reflect on all that jazz above.
And on how his service has been a blessing to me and our family. And I’m sure the ward members. But he’d say the blessing has mostly been for him.
He was trying to give it away, yet it came back to him. He has been stretched and loved and pushed in all new ways. And the pushing has taught him so much. It’s taught me so much watching his earnestness and diligence too.
Dave hosted his last young men activity last week, our house filled up with boys and other leaders and pizza and ping pong.
And my heart swelled with gratitude.
Because this has been such a good calling for him.
Little did he know how much this business of helping others carry their own burdens would help him carry his own.
Things that push us are so beautiful.
AND I’m excited to have my husband back:)
And to support the new leaders who are going to be so great.
I love this! Dave is such a traveling man, most often for work. And probably no one has ever been more loyal in coming back home to church every Sunday to serve in that Bishopric, even if it’s from half way across the world! What a great service to your ward!! How those young men must love him…as does the whole ward!
Congrats to Dave for a job well done, with the undying support of his wife and family. What a grand adventure!