Is Your Calling Just an Obligation? 3 Ways to Make It Joyful
As we embrace the call to serve, our callings can become transformative and bring us closer to Christ.
After my husband and I were married, we lived in Hawaii so I could finish my last semester at Brigham Young University–Hawaii. I knew this final semester was going to be very busy with work, school, and student teaching.
As the semester started, I received an email from the Laie Temple presidency inviting me to serve as a temple ordinance worker for the early Saturday shift. Honestly, I wanted to cry and delete the email! My dreams of weekend hikes and relaxing on the beach felt shattered. But then I remembered the covenants I had made in the temple to serve and consecrate my time to the Lord. Begrudgingly, I accepted the invitation.
Turns out, serving as a temple ordinance worker was exactly what I needed to thrive that semester. As I heard Elder Steven D. Shumway of the Seventy’s talk this general conference, his words resonated with me: “Have you ever wondered why we are asked to do things in God’s kingdom that feel beyond our reach?”
Reflecting on my experience, I thought back to three habits that helped me change my attitude about my calling from “dutiful and draining” to “joyful and transformative”:
1. Pray to Have a Willing Heart
Some of us might have a calling we either don’t want to do or feel inadequate for. What helped me change my bad attitude was praying for a willing heart. As Elder Shumway reminds us, “We engage in God’s work not because God needs us but because we need God and His mighty blessings.” To receive those blessings, I had to serve with a willing heart.
2. Look Beyond the Inconvenience
Callings are rarely convenient, but Elder Shumway teaches that “callings are sacred gifts from a loving Heavenly Father to help bring others with us to Jesus Christ.” When I stopped worrying about missing beach time and focused on serving, I felt the Savior’s love more deeply.
3. Serve with Joy
The older sisters who served as temple ordinance workers inspired me with their joy and charity. They made significant sacrifices to be there but were never self-centered. They worked with gratitude, smiling and laughing even when things didn’t go perfectly. As Elder Shumway stated, “When we serve to magnify Christ and not ourselves, our service becomes joyful.” As I emulated these faithful sisters and served with joy, my gratitude for my calling and my charity for others increased.
Feel His Grace
Elder Shumway shared: “When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.”
I know that as we shift our perspective of callings to more than another obligation and instead see them as a chance to serve others as the Savior would, Heavenly Father will pour out His blessings and magnify us to do all He asks.
Let’s set aside our fears and inadequacies, trusting that callings are not just tasks to endure. Instead, they can be opportunities to joyfully participate in God’s work, allowing His grace into our lives.