Sunday morning I was on a roll. Did some prep for seminary, breakfast in bed for Joy, all the kids bathed and dressed for church, and I even had a few minutes left over to do some extra gospel study before we left. I lounged by the front door studying a General Conference address from 1903, where Elder Abraham O. Woodruff (son of Wilford Woodruff) was telling the congregation to be more diligent about the little things.
We left early for church so I could warm up on the organ before the Mother's Day program. As we entered the hallway, I noticed a speck of something on the floor. Then another couple specks. Then a whole crumbled cookie. ...
At first I thought whoever had been in charge of cleaning the church this week had not been terribly attentive to detail. Then it started to look like they hadn't done a thing! I turned to Joy to comment on it when I remembered.
IT WAS OUR TURN!
We had both completely forgotten. We never wrote it on the calendar. I was working all day and night grading papers and had been so feeling rotten at one point I got some substitutes to finish off seminary for me the last week. It was our turn!
Our little family kicked into overdrive, alone there in the church - pick up every speck we can find, put out the rest of the chairs, organize the hymnals, make sure there's toilet paper ... ooo and a couple other things to take care of in there, oh dear.
And this little voice said to me - very smugly - "not every one will get down and dig, who will work in the wards, and labor diligently for the upbuilding [NOTICE THE BUILDING IN THAT PHRASE, DERRILL?] the upBUILDING of the kingdom of God when probably they are seen only by the Lord. … It is in these little affairs of life [I think you missed a little affair over there] that we show our love for the work of God. ..."
Oh dear. I think we got the place mostly-acceptable before church started. If you noticed something amiss, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I'll do better next time.
If I were choosing a body of men who could be depended upon to always do the right thing in this kingdom, I would choose men who ... uphold the lesser as well as the higher Priesthood; and who are good, reliable men in the respective wards, not men who work only on dress parade. Almost any one will do that, but it is not every one who will get down and dig, who will work in the wards, and labor diligently for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God when probably they are seen only by the Lord. … It is in these little affairs of life that we show our love for the work of God. If we really love the work, there is nothing, no matter how small it may be, that we will not be glad to do for the upbuilding of the kingdom, whether it be seen of men or not. God sees and knows our labors, and he will reward us sooner or later, according to the deeds done in the flesh. Therefore, I pray that we may give more attention to the details of life.Feeling self-satisfied, I agreed thoroughly. We need more reliable people who will do what they say and do the little things, though unnoticed, to serve and make things work. Absolutely.
We left early for church so I could warm up on the organ before the Mother's Day program. As we entered the hallway, I noticed a speck of something on the floor. Then another couple specks. Then a whole crumbled cookie. ...
At first I thought whoever had been in charge of cleaning the church this week had not been terribly attentive to detail. Then it started to look like they hadn't done a thing! I turned to Joy to comment on it when I remembered.
IT WAS OUR TURN!
We had both completely forgotten. We never wrote it on the calendar. I was working all day and night grading papers and had been so feeling rotten at one point I got some substitutes to finish off seminary for me the last week. It was our turn!
Our little family kicked into overdrive, alone there in the church - pick up every speck we can find, put out the rest of the chairs, organize the hymnals, make sure there's toilet paper ... ooo and a couple other things to take care of in there, oh dear.
And this little voice said to me - very smugly - "not every one will get down and dig, who will work in the wards, and labor diligently for the upbuilding [NOTICE THE BUILDING IN THAT PHRASE, DERRILL?] the upBUILDING of the kingdom of God when probably they are seen only by the Lord. … It is in these little affairs of life [I think you missed a little affair over there] that we show our love for the work of God. ..."
Oh dear. I think we got the place mostly-acceptable before church started. If you noticed something amiss, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I'll do better next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment