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Well, all three hours of the block yesterday were astoundingly good — for non-traditional reasons. In priesthood, our HPGL started a discussion asking anyone we know on the verge or in a divorce to attend a divorce recovery group at a Methodist Church where he is a moderator. Citing the non-intervention of the minister, or the religion, just that the Church is being used for the meetings. He talked about how it helped him so much during his own divorce. The discussion turned to the aftermath, his own feelings, how the loss of eternal family is hard to take with little support on how to deal with it. Our ex-Bishop shared how he joined an job-loss support group for people who have been let go — something he would have been attending while our Bishop, which I found moving as I wasn’t aware he was struggling during that time.
We never did get to the lesson on Eternal Family, and everyone talked about things that were meaningful. At one point, people reached the conclusion that if you’ve done all you can to hold your eternal marriage together and the other person refuses, then how can you be held accountable? You aren’t, and that there will be other people to be with in the eternities.
I couldn’t resist, and asked — why doesn’t that logic apply to home teaching? We are constantly being drilled into to get 100% home teaching when half of the equation is the willingness of the home teaching family to be seen? All we end up doing is demotivating and irritating the ward leaders, and often, the hometeachers? Bit of a silence….a few head nods, but I sensed everyone saw the logic but couldn’t jump on the bandwagon. AT the end, one of the brethren approached me about his marriage, how it wasn’t going well, and asked for some advice. I gave him some and also pointed him to some resources, shared my own struggles and triumphs.
Everyone was totally into that lesson — and we never got into the GA talk on eternal family.
Sunday school was spent preparing for a social, and four of us shared stories about camping, wildlife, you name it, as we cooked. I shared my perceptions of one brother’s strength of character using the Gallup Strengths philosophy, and we discussed the dark side of strengths in general. And then I helped one of the brethren see how project managment principles could help in his work. It was the first bit of socializing for its own sake I’ve had in a long time.
And last of all, after the sacrament was passed, my kids went to the kitchen with me to finish preparations. We finished early, so my daugther whipped out her YW personal progress book, and we read three chapters of the scriptures about the atonement, and then we all gave testimony. I gave mine on the Book of Mormon abotu it’s ability to help people feel spiritual.
And then, the social was spent helping our new SS president brainstorm ideas about how to improve the library.
And the peak — when my 12 year old daughter asked to go to a theme park with her friends, the oldest being 16, who would be driving. I was nervous about that as she has never been independent like that, but the kids have such good upstanding character that I know very well, we said OK. It highlighted that notwithstanding all the warts and problems and egocentricies and policy/doctrine confusion and judgmentalism and taking-the-members-for granted, the Church and the gospel attracts some people of good character.
I find it interesting how all these good events seem to reflect people helping people. Love and service. I do think the church helps teach and practice those principles.
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