I started thinking about this because of a conversation I recalled from a few years ago.
An associate described how he had served in the EQ presidency and through their efforts, an inactive brother had come back to church. Within about two years, the formerly-inactive brother was called to be a Bishop. My associate was a bit incensed at that, and said, "I should be a Bishop by now."
Apart from the obvious issues implied in that response, there is a question about the purpose of callings. What do you think that purpose is?
-- Edited by Roper at 19:37, 2007-08-19
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
For once, even if for a brief moment, my vote is not only the majority, but the super majority and yea verily, the only agreed upon opinion... and I am unanimous in it!
I view callings, regardless of what they are, as The Lord asking the individual to help and serve within their personal capacity to serve and bless the lives of others in the most efficient manner at the given time.
Or, in the case of being a new Scoutmaster (like me)... punishment for past envy and saying I could do a better job...
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
I voted for "both." Sometimes there's a few people in the ward and you know they're just gonna shape up wherever they are called to serve. Is primary having problems? Put so-and-so there and presto! It's fixed! More often, which may just be my point of view, I see callings as helping the person with the calling. Call someone to be Bishop and he'll start paying a full tithing... Call someone else to something and they'll "step it up" a little, I guess.
There are so many people in my ward that refuse callings... lots of older people with a "been there done that" attitude. Or they get comfortable in one calling and are there forever...like the chorister who's been there for 15 years or something, cuz that's all she can handle with her busy schoolteacher job... (She's been retired like 2 years now?)
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
I always wondered why my Dad wasn't "promoted" to bishop when I was a kid. It seemed like he was everything but... then I grew up and learned how exactly callings are made. And yeah, who in their right might woudl "aspire" to be bishop? It's not like a promotion.
It just boggles my mind when people aspire to callings. When I was the YM's president there was a guy in the ward that wanted the calling and lobbied for it every chance he got telling people where I wasn't doing X, Y, and Z correctly and how he would do it better. He made the calling ten times more difficult than it had to be. Low and behold I was released and he got the calling. I felt like he sabotaged my calling for his own gain and as a result I wasn't able to serve effectively. This same moron lobbied to become the Elder's Quorum president when he was a High Priest even though there were plenty of Elder's worthy and capable. He told anyone who would listen how he would run things and that he would re-activate a whole list of inactive elders. Both times he really failed to deliver on any of his campaign promises and once again, he got the calling. This guy drives me crazy!!!!!! I've seen people who look at these leadership callings as status symbols. Wives see it as some social benefit if their husband is in the Bishopric and want them to be in even higher offices. Then they brag about their great uncle who was a 70. It's sickening. I say, if they want it, let them have it. I like spending time with my family and not having to deal with the fallout and problems of families coming to me with their financial and marital problems or trying to pick up the pieces and put a ward back together where a child molester has victimized some of the young men. Let these folks attend the endless meetings that go on and on with no real organization and few results.
My theory is that the Lord calls people to positions to help them grow. So I look at callings, like Bishop for example, and think, "What talents etc. would I need to develop so the Lord will never call me to that position?" Then I try to develop those talents, etc.
The one that will get me into trouble is Ward Clerk. I despise accounting. I have no patience for the kind of attention to detail that calling requires. But since that is handling consecrated funds and absolutely positively can't be messed up, the Lord won't call me there 'cause I'll mess up for sure.
Yep--be the best disciple I can and avoid the leadership positions. That's my philosophy
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
If we couldn't help each other with our callings, why would we bother doing them? I mean I realize that we improve in the process, but the idea is you forget yourself caring for others. If you take a calling with the attitude that God wants me to learn something, you may do it for entirely selfish reasons... then again if you take a calling thinking that it's to do everyone else a favor, you could also have issues... okay... so I think that I have no idea what would keep you from getting screwed up in the head... :)
--Ray
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I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
But since that is handling consecrated funds and absolutely positively can't be messed up, the Lord won't call me there 'cause I'll mess up for sure.
My brother has mild dyslexia and he's the financial clerk in his ward. He let the Bishop know when the call was extended but they didn't care. If he can get that calling then so can you Roper.
I voted in the poll when it first went up, but I've been mulling over the subject a bit before posting. (I voted for both, btw. )
I was thinking about the good that comes about from callings. Then I was thinking about the good that comes about from being obedient and doing the right thing. Then I had an "ah ha!" (or would that be "duh!"?) moment.
Obedience to Heavenly Father brings about good. If I help someone else through obedience to Heavenly Father, that's good for me and that's good for that other person. It's also good for anyone who might truly see that good example. But, it's also good in more subtle, but still important ways. That goodness blesses families, churches and communities. It's good for a community to have obedient members. The very nature of goodness is to effect as many people as possible. God is no respecter of persons and He wants all of us to have access to goodness.
So, I think callings are for spreading the goodness of God in whatever ways possible.
(The makes beautiful sense in my own head. I hope I managed to express a small part of it here.)
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"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I'll go with that. It is all about serving the Lord and that is done through service to others. Service teaches us humility and humility allows us to be served and realize our dependence on the Lord. It is one big round.
Roper's in trouble now. He has specifically stated he doesn't want a calling.
I guess that means Roper is going to get called to be ward clerk now. It'll be his punishment. Just like Cat was called to be scoutmaster as his punishment.
