Blessed by My Callings

When I was a single parent I had a full-time job that required many hours beyond the usual eight-hour-a-day commitment. So when I was called to be a counselor in the ward Relief Society presidency, I wondered how I could possibly add more to my schedule.

But I accepted the calling, and I found that I was able to organize my life as I never had before. I found time not only for my Church calling, but also for longer scripture study.

Later, the bishop called me to be the ward magazine representative and asked me to visit every home in the ward. After the interview, I cried all the way home, wondering how that calling could possibly have been inspired.

But it was. My nephew was living with us then, and he, my son, and I had not yet developed the family unity necessary for true gospel living. But as I enlisted their aid, “our” calling soon brought us together. We worked hard to reach our common goal and felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished. The unity remained even after I was released.

Church callings are inspired. They help the person who receives the call to grow. A person who doesn’t have a strong testimony of a gospel principle may be called to teach that principle to others and may well receive a strong witness of the truthfulness of the principle as he or she teaches it.

Heavenly Father wants us to learn and practice gospel principles. Accept a calling with gratitude. The person who will be blessed most through your calling will be you!—Joyce B. Stone, Clovis, New Mexico