A few years ago, I was speaking on the phone to a friend of mine who
was in a bishopric in another state and he asked me what calling in the
Church I was currently
serving. I enthusiastically answered, “I have the best calling in the
ward; I am the ward mission leader!” There was a long, awkward pause,
and then my friend responded with, “So, when do you think you are going
to have an important calling?”!
It is no surprise to anybody to know that there are people in the world
who measure their success by the type of position they currently have
in the Church. It is
“the nature and disposition of almost all men” (D&C 121:39) to have
temporal ambitions. It reminds me a lot of the man who had an
assignment to serve as a Sunday School teacher but decided that
particular calling wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be the
Sunday School president. Then, and only then, would he be truly happy!
Once he became the Sunday School president, he would only be satisfied
with becoming the elders quorum president. Then, and only then, would he
be happy! Once he became the elders quorum
president, he wanted to be in the bishopric! Where does this process
end?
Seek Spiritual Gifts
What we really need to do, if we are sincere in our desire to serve the
Lord to the best of our ability, is to pray for the gifts of the Spirit
rather than seek
office. This may be more difficult than it sounds because the gifts of
the Spirit are generally invisible to others. In a world that values
titles, positions and notoriety, it can be very difficult for some
people to seek their true spiritual potential rather
than someone else’s idea of it. So what can we do about it? How can we
overcome this natural and carnal tendency?
Hugh Nibley makes an interesting observation here:
