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Whether you still practice it or not, do you have a favorite thing you like or cherish about you LDS connection? Twice in the past week I have heard a primary song I have cherished since I was 3 or 4 years old when I first learned it in Primary. The memories, the comforts, the joy it inspires still hit me all these long years since.
What do you have?
Callings. It is an interesting thing…and fairly unique in religion, I think. Other churches get service and stuff from the membership, but not the same way we do it.
I think it is good to stretch people to do things they may not WANT to do (nursery calling…I’ll do my time and then another person takes the turn sniffing diapers…) but people are willing to accept a call to help do what needs to be done.
It also gives people something to do. To be a part of something. Perhaps we are creating the need that needs to be filled by someone…but that’s not always bad. It is something to be engaged in, whatever it is.
I think there are problems that come along with it (for example…pressure to never say no, or to do more away from your family then you should, or stress and pressure, etc), but these problems also allow people to look inside and learn how to handle problems and how to stick up for yourself and say no to too much service, but all of that is “practice” in living gospel principles.
Callings are religion in action.
I cherish the way I looked at life as a missionary. I don’t seem to cherish much else, unfortunately. All that has gone away. But those days when I saw life through LDS-colored glasses as a missionary were very important to me at one time.
Also, I do cherish the feeling I had when I was unemployed a few years ago. I was a YM president at the time, I had this feeling that I still belonged somewhere. Not in my work any longer, but at church. I had this feeling that God was going to support me because I paid tithing and was serving faithfully in the church.
I don’t have that same confidence in my service in the community. But at the same time, I am not sure I would have that same confidence if I returned to full TR and calling status like I did in the beginning. In a way, I yearn for it as unemployment looms…
I wish I had more to say. I am at the antithesis of Heber13 who said callings are things he cherishes. I wish I could cherish them but all the stuff I experienced getting out of them in the past makes me feel very jaundiced toward the whole thing.
My view of the overarching theology. It regularly leaves me in awe, even as it isn’t yet seen for what I believe it holds. Currently my favorite is Family History. It’s the idea that we are connected with generations that came before & yet others that will be coming.
It is unique to any other Christian religion that I know of.
I hear you on the Family History thing. I remember years ago finding out a bunch of stuff about my DH’s ancestry. We were very excited to share it with his family, but it weirdly wasn’t well received. At the time I thought, “At least these ancestors appreciate what we did here.” But really, the feeling of identity you can have when you see where you’re from and who your “people” are. It’s more valuable than we realize.
Weaselgirl wrote:It’s more valuable than we realize.
Good point. In the Book of Mormon it talks about remembering, and in past generations there were probably more connections with the elderly family members that could share stories over the campfire…nowadays…family history can help us connect with ancestors and it is interesting to me to hear their stories. I guess it makes me reflect a little on my circumstances and challenges. I would rather live now than any other time.
Weasel girl, Quote:I remember years ago finding out a bunch of stuff about my DH’s ancestry. We were very excited to share it with his family, but it weirdly wasn’t well received. At the time I thought, “At least these ancestors appreciate what we did here.”
This reminds me of something in my family. I grew up with incredibly connected pioneer ancestry, but I never knew it. No one else in the family seemed to either. For years the only history we heard was my uncles reading from the local town paper and saying things like, “Did you hear Jack’s son died.” I didn’t know Jack and no one dwelt on it, it was a tidbit. Then my brother goes to Missouri to get a Masters in History, so he heads over to Nauvoo. This was before President Hinckley’s era of historic renewal. Nauvoo was not yet an LDS tour site. A few remnants existed but not much, however among the shreds of life left there my brother tripped over our ancestors stories. Holy Cow, we were like connected. To Joseph, Hyrum, Brigham, even John Taylor, we drove his cattle across the plains. (Not genetically connected, work related connected).
My brother is so excited. The next family reunion he stands up, tells the stories, suggests we have a reunion in Nauvoo. It falls on deaf ears. Everyone shrugs and moves along. Now more than a decade later, one of my uncle’s suggests we go to Nauvoo as a family and see where our heritage began.
Family – it’s about weird.
Mom3–GREAT story. It almost reads like some kind of parable. I like how the church can help introduce you to some others that are generally quite good people. Often the first introductions is the hardest part in creating relationships. Some of my best friends are people that I either came to know or worked on callings with and got to know better. Leadership councils are a good thing. I think since the leadership is voluntary…it is good to have more input and more people involved in the ward leadership than to just have one pastor do it all. Memories.
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