I love the principle of a living, breathing Church.
We receive revelation from a prophet and get to watch the grand destiny of the Church unfold. It’s exciting and inspiring. We are truly alive in Christ!
Members of the Church for the last year have watched as multiple changes have reinvigorated the daily lives of many. Ministering. Priesthood quorum changes. Two-hour church. The temple endowment ceremony. The Come, Follow Me program.
As grateful as I am for these truly wonderful changes, I’m also yearning for a period of accountability and integration. While many wards and individuals have been able to embrace all of the changes, others struggle to find a new balance.
President Russell M. Nelson told members to eat their vitamins and get some rest as they the future of the Church will be exciting. To me, this doesn’t mean becoming obsessed with the Conference rumors and forgetting our past duties the moment a new one is added. Instead, it means to take your time to prepare yourself to handle all of the responsibilities and privileges that come with being a member of Christ’s church.
That is why I hope no major changes are announced at General Conference.
As a further illustration, let’s take a closer look at ministering. Announced in the spring of 2018, ministering replaced home and visiting teaching. It was designed to inspire revelation and genuine charity in our service to others.
We are approaching a full year of ministering, and yet we still struggle to complete it. The quarterly accountability meetings with leaders are often not held. Just as the programs before it, ministering would likely be listed as one of the largest struggles of members. For many reasons, we just don’t do it.
I’m not here to judge anyone struggling, but it does make me worried. With each new change announced, do we forget the one before it? We don’t talk about ministering in my ward anymore. In talking with others, many say they forget it’s even there.
Will we lose interest in the Come, Follow Me program? Now that we’ve gone to the temple to hear what’s been changed, will we stop going?
If we choose, the answer can be an unequivocal “no.” In the end, we can embrace any and all change with power and excitement if we do it the right way. That is the question we need to be asking ourselves. Are we taking the time to do what we are meant to do? I am personally feeling the need to reflect on my life so I can fully commit to the right choices. I trust in our leaders and know whatever is said or announced in General Conference is the will of the Lord. I hope no matter what happens, we can all take a moment to pause and have a self-interview and see if we’ve been truly changed or merely entertained.
