The Weak and Simple of the Church

My thoughts from President Pakcers, "The Weak and Simple of the Church"

I remember listening to this one because it was right after President Eyring was put in the First Presidency and Elder Cook was put in as an apostle. And I was digesting the information when President Packer in his unique and distinctive voice stood up and spoke.
My first thought was, “why not President Eyring be the next speaker?” Then I thought, “No, the acting President of the of the Quorum needs to give this talk.” Of course I didn’t think that until I knew what the talk was about.

One of my favorite quotes about men being called to high positions in the church was asked of a prophet’s wife (I want to say, Sister Kimball, but I can’t be positive). The question was, “How does it feel to be married to the Prophet?” Her reply was so profound, “When I married him he was an Elder.”

I’m not sure why I love that quote so much, but it has always stuck with me when I look at the men who lead this church. When President Packer told us of how he was called to be an Apostle, I again thought of this quote (probably misquoted knowing me). I too just married an Elder. He too just married an ordinary member in good standing. And since that day some 18 plus years ago we have both grown in testimony and conviction. My testimony is still the same the day I was married to now, it has just grown and become full. It is like a rose. It was once small and beautiful, it is now full and beautiful with the potential to bloom even more as I grown in faith and knowledge.

His talk also explains to me why we send 19 year old young me on missions. As someone who is preparing five (with a six waiting also) to serve missions and one is 3 years away from submitting papers I KNOW that the Lord sends the “weak and simple” to stand before the “kings and rulers” to preach the gospel. There is beauty in that and wisdom. But for a mother it is scary and I have to have faith that the Lord knows what he is doing.

I will admit I do covet one calling in the church and oh, how I wish I had it: primary pianist. I know I shouldn’t but I do. I wish they had YM pianist so that I could go and sit in their meetings and listen there too. I covet it because it is the one job I don’t mind preparing for, but usually don’t have to do much preparing since I play the songs all the time. AND I get to hear what my children are learning and then come home and reinforce it. Oh, how I love that calling!

But that hasn’t been my calling for many, many years. I’ve bounced around from callings and am now the Visiting Teaching supervisor and I don’t like that calling. There is too much work to do. But I humble myself and do it. In fact I today is the day I call everyone and make sure they have done their jobs and then report tonight while waiting for scouts to be over. It is a necessary job and I do it and I need to pray that my attitude will change.

Get this, one calling that shocked me when I was called to it was Activities Director. I’m not a party person and at the time the ward had an activity every first Friday. What a job, but I grew to love it and cried when I was released. Another calling that shocked me when I was called was RS president. That morning I found out I was pregnant with baby #6 which was a TOTAL shock and then to sit in the Bishop’s home that evening with my husband and be asked to be RS president almost made me want to faint.

The scripture Pres. Packer quotes: “The Lord Himself was very plain: ‘And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant’” was NOT this case. I was not chief among the sisters. I was a primary pianist who loved her job and cried so many tears when released to be put in YW. I was a mom to five little boys and didn’t want to be chief. But I was. I served all of one month in YW and then was called to be RS President. I’m not sure how high this frog jumped but I was truly “weak and simple.”

One thing it did let me see what the inner workings of the ward council. I truly came to understand that power of the mantle resting upon those who have callings. I saw it. I felt it. I knew it.

When I got home from the Bishop’s home that January night in 2000 after being asked to fill some pretty big shoes, I called my mom. I remember asking her how to do the calling. She told me something that President Packer is telling us now too. The only qualification you need to fill any job is to be a member with a testimony of the Savior. As she told me that, I remember the interview from the bishop just minutes before. As I sat on his couch, he looked at me and asked me to bear my testimony. I personally thought it odd that he would ask me that question as I thought I was going to be ward choir director which he vacated weeks before to become the Bishop. I just chocked it up to being a new bishop and maybe “going by the book.”

I wrote this post this morning and then had to run my son to seminary, get a workout in and then fix breakfast for the kids. Then comes scriptures and we are reading the account of Ammon in King Lamoni’s land. There was a missionary who was weak and simple and changed a nation!