Real Talk

I’ll be honest – this week has been a struggle. I’ve been overwhelmed at work and simply exhausted. Doesn’t make for great contemplating – it pretty much ruins it. So I didn’t have anything to write about yesterday. Today in Sunday School though I has some inspiration, that I thought would be good to share with you.

For background – I am the only one in my immediate family that has not served a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My parents both served (that’s where they met), my sister and both my brothers served. But I never felt prompted to serve. To be completely honest I may have been terrified to serve a mission and I have felt guilty for not serving all these years.

So back to Sunday School, we were discussing Doctrine & Covenants Section 80. It’s short – you should go read it real quick, it will only take a minute. We were discussing the difference between being called as a missionary and being assigned a mission and the following inspiration came.

The Call

I began to think of the phrase repeated often in the Doctrine & Covenants – if you have desires to serve, you are called to the work. In that phrase – I believe – the Lord has extended a call to serve to everyone who wants to. It may not be a full time call but he needs part time missionaries as well.

The assignment

In Doctrine & Covenants 80 the assignment was go North, South, East or West – it doesn’t matter just open your mouth. Often in life we will not be called to a specific area. We just need to serve the Lord and teach His Gospel wherever we happen to be when the promptings come.

The Peace

This inspiration brought peace to me and eased the guilt I have felt for not serving a full time mission. Just because I never received an official call from the Prophet to serve a mission does not mean I am not called to the work of the Lord. If I have the desire to work- I can, the Lord has called me. Anywhere and Everywhere I go I can be a witness of Him and for Him in word and in deed.