Callings Begin With Us
written by Gregory Watton
Callings aren’t the kinds of things where one puts together a resume and submits it to whoever is hiring in the hopes that their qualifications will land them the job. No, no, no…It doesn’t work that way. Even if we have absolutely zero experience in what we’re being called to, after some time in that calling, a combination of gained experience and spiritual counsel will reveal to you that you were right for the job all along.
Callings are an interesting thing. It’s one of those things that are often times considered a great blessing—as long as the calling being given is one that is most convenient or is something that one is already comfortable with—and at other times, considered an unwanted chore that is best suited for someone else more qualified. The truth is, our Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves and it isn’t our job to question His motives. It is our job to willingly accept the blessing He is giving us, even if we don’t think it’s a blessing at the time given. Willingly accepting a calling is the first step toward magnifying it. By doing so, we keep our covenants with the Lord, help build the Kingdom of Heaven, we grow spiritually, and we learn new skills that we can add to our mortal, and even eternal, resumes. In first Nephi, chapter three, verse seven, I quote, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them”, end quote (1 Nephi 3:7).
Our Father in Heaven does not give us callings as a burden to our already busy schedules. Yes, many of us have jobs, many of us have families, and many of us have other responsibilities we consider to be important, things that fill up the hours of our week. We get lost inside of ourselves and the passions of our careers and hobbies to the point where we’re asking ourselves later, “Where did the time go? I’m so busy with life and you want me to have a calling? Are you crazy?!” I’m sure for some, that is the initial thought that races through their minds, but in Heavenly Father’s eternal perspective, it is necessary for us to put away our own insecurities and doubts and accept in faith. If you know our Heavenly Father, then perhaps you got the memo. He’s got a plan and that plan includes you in it.
So, you’re given a calling and you’ve willingly accepted it. Now what? When Brother Taylor called me to be one of the counselors in the Sunday School Presidency, I had no idea what that actually meant. Perhaps it meant I’d get to ring a bell at the end of the hour, signaling to all the classes that it was time to move to the next block. If you’ve noticed, there are no bells ringing at the end of any classes, so we can pretty much throw THAT idea out the window!
After we’ve accepted our callings, understand it. Pray about it. Ask questions of those in a position to provide you with answers. Dust off that manual you were given and try something new with it you haven’t done before, like reading it. The more you immerse yourself in your calling, the more you will learn about the calling itself, and equally as important, you will learn a few things about yourself that you probably didn’t know before. There are blessings in store not only for you as you magnify your calling, but also for the lives of those you touch, either directly or indirectly, as a result. Callings—when carried out efficiently and reliably—is what brings the plan together; lessening the burden of others and allows the spirit to fill your heart with service and contentment when you’re doing the Lord’s work.
President Gordon B. Hinckly said and I quote, “We magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm in those responsibilities to which we are called by proper authority. We magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter. We magnify our calling when we walk with honesty and integrity. We honor our priesthood and magnify its influence when we walk with virtue and fidelity.” End quote (Gordon B. Hinckly)
President Hinckly said we magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm.When we begin to think of our callings as a burden, we begin to miss the bigger picture. Callings should be a matter of the heart. It should be an opportunity for us to honor our Heavenly Father by fulfilling our callings, not by going through the motions, but by putting your shoulder to the wheel and heaving with all you’ve got. It should be done with love, with purpose. Our attitudes and how we treat our callings will reflect in our body language and it will be noticed.
President Hinckly further stated that we magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter. Our callings are not meant to elevate our status or inflate our sense of pride. It’s about service to our fellow man. It is about living the principles of the gospel and opening our eyes to see who is lagging behind in order to help them catch up with the rest of us. That doesn’t mean our callings end when we walk out the doors of the church building. It means we have a greater responsibility to be an example to others everywhere we go. It means we should be prepared to be in the service of our Lord and be ready to serve our fellow man at all times.
We should prepare ourselves spiritually. In this, we can hope to have the spirit guide us. I had no idea what I was getting into when I accepted the calling to be part of the Sunday School Presidency and I thought perhaps maybe I was getting in over my head. I’m not alone. I think at some point, each and every one of us has the question, “why me”, cross their mind. I think every one of us may consider ourselves being in over our heads, but we forget one very crucial thing. This is the Lord’s church. Because it is the Lord’s church, He is not setting us up to fail. We bring all sorts of different skills and talents to the table and where we may fall short, if we’re faithful and we live according to the principles of the gospel, then the Lord will bestow upon us the necessary blessings to fulfill our callings. We must ponder, we must study, and we must pray. Even in so doing, we also need to listen for that still small voice to give us that bit of inspiration that will help us fulfill our callings and magnify them. That means we have to be receptive to the spirit. The world is filled with many distractions, all competing for our constant attention. In a world that is growing less and less interested in things of the spirit, those distractions eventually become a trap, a sort of web, that catches the spiritually out of tune in its clutches. When one finds themselves trapped, it becomes exceedingly difficult to hear a still, small, voice in the roar of worldly materialism, and one ends up walking in treacherous territory. So if we keep ourselves close to the spirit, then we can be spiritually prepared at all times.
Once we have prepared ourselves spiritually, we should live by the example of the gospel. When we live the principles of the gospel, we then become examples of the love our heavenly father has for each and every one of us. The compassion of the Lord will reflect in our actions, our speech, and in our body language. Our testimonies will be self evident in our very existence. Living by the words of Christ opens the door for others to readily trust you and look to you for counsel and for leadership. By following gospel principles, you can open the door for others to follow the gospel too. As you share your testimony in your thoughts, deeds, and words, your testimony will grow and it will help you in magnifying your calling.
I will read an excerpt from an article I read by Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about things we should know pertaining to magnifying our callings and I quote, “First, you are called of God. The Lord knows you. He knows whom He would have serve in every position in His Church. He chose you. He has prepared a way so that He could issue your call. He restored the keys of the priesthood to Joseph Smith. Those keys have been passed down in an unbroken line to the current president of the church. Through those keys, other priesthood servants were given keys to preside in stakes and wards, in districts and branches. It was through those keys that the Lord called you. Those keys confer a right to revelation. And revelation comes in answer to prayer.
The person who was inspired to recommend you for this call didn’t do it because they liked you or because they needed someone to do a particular task. They prayed and felt an answer that you were the one to be called. The person who called you did not issue the call simply because he learned by interviewing you that you were worthy and willing to serve. He prayed to know the Lord’s will for you. It was prayer and revelation to those authorized of the Lord which brought you here. Your call is an example of a source of power unique to the Lord’s Church. Men and women are called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those God has authorized. You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father’s spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned and in moments when you might be doing something not apparently connected to your call. Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith. And should you forget who you are, just the way you speak and the way you behave can destroy faith.
Your call has eternal consequences for others and for you. In the world to come, thousands may call your name blessed, even more than the people you serve here. They will be the ancestors and the descendants of those who chose eternal life because of something you said or did, or even what you were. If someone rejects the Savior’s invitation because you did not do all you could have done, their sorrow will be yours. You see, there are no small callings to represent the Lord. Your call carries grave responsibility. But you need not fear, because with your call come great promises.
One of those promises is the second thing you need to know. It is that the Lord will guide you by revelation just as He called you. You must ask in faith for revelation to know what you are to do. With your call comes the promise that answers will come. But that guidance will come only when the Lord is sure you will obey. To know His will you must be committed to do it. The words “Thy will be done,” written in the heart, are the window to revelation.
The answer comes by the Holy Spirit. You will need that guidance often. To have the Holy Ghost as your companion you must be worthy, cleansed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So, your obedience to the commandments, your desire to do His will, and your asking in faith will determine how clearly the Master can guide you by answers to your prayers.
Often the answers will come as you study the scriptures. They contain accounts of what the Lord did in His mortal ministry and the guidance He has given His servants. They have doctrine in them which will apply in every time and every situation. Pondering the scriptures will lead you to ask the right questions in prayer. And just as surely as the heavens were opened to Joseph Smith after he pondered the scriptures in faith, God will answer your prayers and He will lead you by the hand.
There is a third thing you need to know: Just as God called you and will guide you, He will magnify you. You will need that magnification. Your calling will surely bring opposition. You are in the Master’s service. You are His representative. Eternal lives depend on you. He faced opposition, and He said that facing opposition would be the lot of those He called. The forces arrayed against you will try not only to frustrate your work but to bring you down. The Apostle Paul described it this way: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” End quote (Henry B. Eyring, General Conference, October 2002)
Those three things we should know about magnifying our callings Brother Eyring shared with us hit home with me. The truth of it rang loud and I heard that ring not with my ears, but with my heart. I know what he says is true and I know that this is what the Lord wants us to not only know, but also to apply. This is what it means to magnify our callings.
But rest assured, we are not alone in our callings. We will have the support of our priesthood leaders and members of the church. We will have the guidance and support of our heavenly father and the support of the spirit. It is in that support that our callings will be magnified and we will be made adequate to fulfill those callings. So never fear, for fear is the tool of the adversary and the adversary would like nothing more for us to fail.
We stand on a foundation of rock and no matter the storm, we shall stand strong. That rock is the gospel and I know it is true. I know the Saviour is the Son of God and I know that we have a living prophet called of God on this earth today who is our captain and he is in place to help us weather the storms of adversity in these latter days. This is my testimony and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
