🕊️ When Church Gets Busy… Don’t Forget the Savior
🕊️ When Church Gets Busy… Don’t Forget the Savior
Thoughts from an Old Member Trying to Keep It Simple
I’ve been in the Church a long time.
Long enough to have served in bishoprics.
Long enough to have held more callings than I can remember.
And long enough to notice something that made me laugh the other night… and then made me think.
🌿 The Night My Wife Turned Down a Calling
Recently our ward was split and we were invited to meet with a member of the new bishopric.
They wanted to talk to us about a calling.
Now my dear wife had just finished three years serving as Relief Society president.
Anyone who has watched that calling closely knows it isn’t a small assignment.
Phone calls.
Meals.
Late night worries about sisters who are struggling.
Trying to hold people together when life gets hard.
My wife served with her whole heart.
But when that calling ended…
She was tired.
Not complaining tired.
Just human tired.
On the way to the church building she said something she has believed her whole life.
“Never turn down a calling. If the Lord asks, you say yes.”
That’s the way she’s always lived.
But then she added something else.
“I just hope it’s not Primary.”
We both laughed.
We love children.
But patience with a room full of five-year-olds isn’t exactly the same when you get older.
So I teased her.
“Well if it’s not missionary work we might just have to go home and pray about it.”
😄 The Interview
We sat down with a nice young counselor in the bishopric.
Good man.
We like him.
He smiled and said,
“We’d like to call you both to serve in the Primary.”
Before I could even say anything…
My wife blurted out,
“Oh… I don’t think we can do that.”
I almost lost it.
Then I said,
“Wait a minute… I haven’t given my speech yet.”
🌿 An Honest Conversation
Instead of things getting awkward, everyone relaxed.
We talked honestly.
We explained that after three years of Relief Society work, my wife might need a little rest.
And that our patience with a classroom of energetic little kids might not be our strongest gift at the moment.
I even joked,
“I’d probably slap one of those kids.”
That broke the tension.
Everyone laughed.
Then the counselor said something wise.
He said maybe they needed to step back and consider people’s circumstances and strengths before extending callings.
In other words…
Maybe inspiration works better when leaders understand the whole picture.
🚗 The Ride Home
On the drive home my wife suddenly said something that touched me.
“I feel guilty.”
That’s my wife.
She has served her entire life.
She raised four children alone for eighteen years before we were married.
During those years the Church helped her in ways that meant everything.
So for the rest of her life she has tried to give back.
Teaching.
Helping.
Comforting.
Organizing.
Serving.
And when she said no to one calling…
She felt guilty.
❤️ The Quiet Saints
Every ward has people like that.
The quiet saints.
The ones who bring the meals.
The ones who visit the lonely.
The ones who say yes when someone asks for help.
They don’t do it for recognition.
They do it because they love people.
And because they love the Savior.
But sometimes…
They are also the most tired.
🌿 When Church Gets Busy
After many years in the Church, I’ve noticed something.
Sometimes church life gets so busy that we forget the most important thing.
Christ.
Meetings.
Assignments.
Programs.
Schedules.
Callings.
And suddenly we’re doing church work all the time…
But we’re not always remembering the Savior as much as we should.
📖 The Scriptures Keep It Simple
When you read the scriptures, the message is actually very simple.
Faith in Christ.
Repentance.
Baptism.
Receiving the Holy Ghost.
Enduring in Christ.
That’s the doctrine.
Not fifty programs.
Not endless meetings.
Just people coming to the Savior.
🌅 The Calling That Matters Most
Sometimes I wonder what the Savior might say if He walked into a ward council meeting today.
Would He talk about filling positions?
Maybe.
But I suspect He might say something deeper.
“Go visit that widow who feels forgotten.”
“Help that family struggling quietly.”
“Listen to that teenager who thinks nobody understands.”
Those are real callings too.
And they don’t require a title.
🕊️ A Final Thought from an Old Member
Church callings are good.
Service is good.
But they are not the center of the gospel.
Christ is.
And sometimes the most sacred callings never come from a bishopric meeting.
They come quietly…
From the Spirit.
From a neighbor who needs help.
From the Savior Himself.
And those callings rarely come with a title.
They come with something better.
A chance to love.
🔗 SIMILAR POSTS TO READ NEXT:
Don’t Follow the White Robe — Follow the Voice — A deeper look at Lehi’s dream and why the iron rod is the Savior’s living voice to you.
The Test of Our Day – Will We Hear Him? — Understanding the quiet choice every believer must make in the last days.
Borrowed Light vs Your Own Lamp — Why living on someone else’s testimony won’t sustain us forever.
The True Doctrine of Christ — Walking through 2 Nephi 31–32 and rediscovering the simple path to Christ.
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