The Profit

I have been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for my whole life. As such, I have held numerous positions or "callings", as we refer to them in the church. I suppose my first official calling came when I was around twelve years old. I was called to the Beehive Presidency. Beehives are girls, ages 12 and 13, and the class presidency is responsible for such things as watching over and fellowshiping class members, "especially those who are new members or less active and those who have disabilities or other special needs. They pray for them, spend time with them, and become genuine friends. They help class members establish close friendships, learn leadership skills, and live the gospel. They help each young woman know that she is welcome when she becomes a member of their class.They support class members’ efforts in the Personal Progress program. They hold regular class presidency meetings.They conduct the Sunday meetings for their classes. They help plan activities, including Mutual. The class presidents serve on the bishopric youth committee (Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 10.3.5). " That's a lot of responsibility for a 12 year-old, but I don't remember ever feeling burdened by it.

Through the years, I have held callings in the Primary, the Young Women, and the Relief Society organizations. I have been a Sports Director for the Young Women's sports program. I, along with my husband, was in charge of monthly youth dances for a time. I'm currently a Gospel Doctrine teacher, which gives me the opportunity to study the scriptures way more deeply than I have ever done before.  I am teaching doctors, lawyers, judges, and teachers. My class consists of former Mission Presidents and their wives, former Area Authorities, Seminary teachers, Bishops and Stake Presidents. It's a calling for which I feel at worst unqualified and at best inadequate. Of all of the callings that have stretched me as a person, this one has got to be at the top of the list.

I was thinking of these callings today, as I read chapter 30 in the book of Alma. In the LDS church, our clergy are unpaid. From the nursery leader to the scoutmaster to the Bishop, there is no monetary compensation for the sometimes countless hours spent performing duties.

"And now, if we do not receive anything for our labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor in the church...?" (Alma 30:34)

What does it profit me? I have pondered this question more than once. What am I getting out of this? So much time and so much energy, both physical and emotional, are required to "magnify" my callings. What's in it for me?

If I were to compose a list of the things that I have benefited from by accepting callings, it would undoubtedly be shockingly incomplete. The blessings are innumerable, but I thought it important to name a just few:

I'm grateful for the empowering nature of the organization of the church. Thanks to primary talks and class presidency callings, my kids are growing up to be confident, compassionate young adults. They have been speaking in public since they were three years old, so giving a speech in school is second nature. They have been looking after the needs of their peers and planning meetings for many years, which will give them so much the advantage in the corporate world, should they choose that path. My daughters are being taught that, contrary to what the world says, being a wife and mother is a noble and fulfilling privilege and responsibility. If there were nothing else, the blessing of seeing my children empowered would be profit enough for my labors in the church.

But there is more. I have been blessed to grow my testimony of the spiritual mantle that comes with each calling extended by the Lord through his servants. Whether I am planning a youth dance or teaching doctrine from the scriptures, I have felt the comforting support of the spirit guiding and directing my decisions. My mind is quick to understand the sometimes complex principles and doctrine, and my desire to learn is immeasurable. Because of this, I, an uneducated homemaker, can teach with power and authority - even to those whom I am far less experienced than in the matters of the gospel.

This all translates to my family life, where I know that the Lord is with me as I lead my household. The family is central to God's plan of salvation, and if he will lift me up as a once-a-month Sunday School teacher, he will most certainly lift me up in my desire to raise righteous children.

What doth it profit me to labor in the church? Everything.