“Priesthood Power,” Friend, Nov. 2015, 46–47
Priesthood Power
Bobby already knew what the priesthood was. Or did he?
“Teach them to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:15).
Bobby looked around the Primary room. All of the kids looked so small! He couldn’t wait to turn 12 and start going to Young Men.
“Today we are going to talk about the priesthood,” Sister Wilkey said. “The priesthood is Heavenly Father’s power. When you receive the priesthood, you’ll have access to that power.”
Whoa, Bobby thought. Heavenly Father did things like create the earth and perform miracles. And He’s giving me His power? That sounded awesome.
Bobby didn’t really listen to the rest of the lesson. He was too excited thinking about how cool it was going to be to have Heavenly Father’s power!
One evening a few days later, Dad came in and said, “Bobby, I need your help. Sister Jarvis called. She can’t get around well with her hurt leg, and she needs help with some chores tonight. My home-teaching partner can’t come.”
Bobby looked out the window. It was snowing like crazy, and he was watching a great movie. “Can I finish this first?” he asked, snuggling into the warm sofa.
“Well, the storm is only going to get worse.”
“Fine. I’m coming,” Bobby said, slowly sliding out of the fuzzy blanket.
When they got to Sister Jarvis’s home, she thanked them for coming.
Rroooff! her little dog barked.
“Peanut got all muddy when he went outside today. Could you please give him a bath?”
“Sure,” Bobby said. He picked up Peanut. “Hey, little guy.” Peanut licked Bobby’s hand happily.
While Bobby washed the dog in the bathtub, Dad made dinner for Sister Jarvis. Then they washed the dishes, filled Peanut’s food dish, and brought more firewood inside.
“Is there anything else we can do for you tonight?” Dad asked.
“No, this is lovely! Thank you for your help!” she said.
“It was our pleasure. Have a good night,” Dad said.
“Bye, Sister Jarvis,” Bobby said. He patted Peanut goodbye.
As they got in the car, Dad thanked Bobby for coming.
“It was fun. Sister Jarvis seemed really grateful,” Bobby said.
“You know, things like this are what the priesthood is really about,” Dad said. “Heavenly Father gives us His power so we can serve others. Sometimes this means giving a blessing or passing the sacrament. Sometimes it means just visiting someone who needs help.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about it like that,” Bobby said. “But I’ll still get to do powerful stuff right?”
Dad smiled. “Serving people is powerful stuff, Bobby. It’s what Jesus Christ did when He was on the earth. Heavenly Father gives power to everyone who serves in His Church so that they can help others. That way everyone benefits from the priesthood.”
Bobby thought about that. Having the priesthood might be different from what he expected, but it still sounded important. And Heavenly Father trusts me to do it, he thought.
“I can do that,” Bobby said. Even though it was dark and cold, he felt peaceful and warm.