This is Your Phone Call

My thoughts on Bishop Edgley's talk "This is Your Phone Call"

"Now is the time to rally around, lift up, and help the families in our quorums who may be in distress."

This is another talk I read long before I was in the place I am today and today the feeling, the spirit and the message of this talk are totally different to me. When I first read it I was the one who was getting the phone call, the one being asked to serve, but today I'm the one who is being served.

At the end of his talk he says, "Speak up!" I never wanted to be the person who was supposed to speak up. I was never to be the one needing service. I was supposed to be the one giving it. Service is how I show my love to others and believe it or not I have a hard time receiving service from others. I find it uncomfortable most of the time. But today I have no choice. I had to speak up and I have to receive the service offered.

I have had a hard time finding friends the last six or seven years. I had a great tight knit group of friends and about ten years ago things started to happen that pulled the thread out of that groups. Mostly it was distance that caused the tightness of it to unravel, but other things played a part. As my friends moved, we kept in touch but there was something different. As I tried to make friends in the new wards I as in (the boundaries did most of the moving, not us) it was hard as friendships were already established and it was just hard. It also doesn't help that I don't have the schools in common with the other members of the ward. It was hard.
Then right after the boundary realignment I was in an auto accident. We graciously accepted service, but because of my concussion I don't recall anyone who came to help. That month of my life is not recorded on the tape in my brain. I couldn't even say thank you to the people who brought dinner because I don't know who they were.

Now we are in a similar situation and I feel awful accepting help because I'm still up and moving. I feel awful taking in dinners when the dinner we would have had had I been able would have been sandwiches made by each kids anyway. (It is soccer season and I don't get home until 8pm and it would have been sandwiches if I wasn't sick.) I feel so guilty having the RS sisters bring me dinners. I feel awful that they are driving me to my doctor appointments. I can do that. I have a kid who can do that. BUT, my wife and wonderful husband told me to stop talking, shut up and be served. "You might just find a friendship or start a closeness with this ward that wasn't there before." He is right. So even though it breaks my heart to be "needy" (I NEVER WANTED TO BE NEEDY IN MY ADULT LIFE--I lived needy in my childhood) I bow my humble head and I spoke up.

My phone call isn't one of service right now. It isn't one of mobilizing the next rescue. It is one of being quiet and letting those who received the phone call serve me. That is so hard and I'm learning a lot.

"As I have loved you love one another."