Yesterday, I received my new calling in my ward. I am now the second Sunday in the month Relief Society teacher.
For those of you who may not be familiar with our church I'll clear up a couple things about those sentences.
In our church, there is no paid clergy. The members of our church are given "callings" which are assignments that we believe we receive from the Lord. The leaders who have already been called pray to know which person should be placed in which assignment. This occurs all the way up to the President of the church. There is no calling given by man. We believe that every person is asked to serve by the Lord himself. And because it is the Lord calling, we gladly give our time for free.
Relief Society is the women's organization in the church. It is led by women and as people become members of the church, if they are women they instantly become part of the largest women's organization in the world.
We go to church for three hours each Sunday. The first hour is Sacrament Meeting, where we take the bread and water in remembrance of our Savior. The second hour is Sunday School where we learn about doctrines of the Gospel. During the third hour, the men and women separate to go to Priesthood and Relief Society. I love Relief Society. It is always a wonderful time to hear from other women and to feel the spirit.
So, every second Sunday of each month I have now been asked to teach a lesson in Relief Society.
Yesterday was my first opportunity. I taught about how we should love the Lord more than the world. It ended up being a powerful lesson because of the testimonies that the sisters shared. I told the following story that I wanted to share with you.
A while ago, about five years or so, I was attending school at Utah State University. I loved it there. I loved the beautiful city of Logan, and I loved my jobs. I was going to school full-time and working part-time for a veterinarian and part-time at the local zoo.
However, one day my supervisor at the zoo came to me and told me a full-time position had become available at the zoo. He told me that he wanted to give the job to me, but that I could think about it.
I considered it very seriously. I loved my work at the zoo. However, if I took the job, I would have to give up my other job at the vet clinic, and I would have to take night-classes instead of day-classes.
On the upside, it was doable, and I was being offered more money that I could imagine at that time. It seemed like a huge amount!
So, as I was talking to my dad about it and discussing my options with him, I told him that I was going to pray and try to receive an answer that evening about what I should do. He told me that I should pray about going on a mission too.
"Okay," I remember saying, "I'll just toss that in the pot while I'm at it."
I prayed sincerely, and then I opened up the scriptures. I landed on a missionary verse. I closed the scriptures and tried again. I landed on another missionary verse. This happened several more times. I finally closed my scriptures and asked my Heavenly Father if I was supposed to serve a mission.
The answer was undeniably yes.
So, I left both my jobs, my unfinished degree, and I went on a mission.
That mission changed my life for the better.
Due to that mission, I ended up changing schools, I ended up changing majors, and I ended up finding my husband. Now, I am happily married with a wonderful little boy living in a wonderful place, and I couldn't be more joyful. The Lord knows what we need. Occasionally I wonder what my life would have been like if I had taken that job. I would undeniably be richer in the world's wealth, but spiritually I wonder how desolate I would be.
We believe that the Lord and His will should always come first in our lives. Unlike Esau, who traded his birthright for porridge, we believe that the blessings of the gospel far outweigh any temporal or instant gratification.
The Lord has a plan for your life. Never trade the blessings that come from following the Lord for money, fame, or fortune. The Lord takes care of his followers, and the blessings that come from obeying him are more than worth it.
If you have any questions that you want me to answer on the next Mormon Monday, please ask them on the comments below. Thank you.
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