A Sacred Calling

I love the power of the priesthood. Receiving blessings with words spoken directly to me, even to the point of using specific phrasing I have only used in personal prayer, is nothing short of a miraculous witness of the reality of a Heavenly Father who is so distinctly aware of and compassionate towards us. I have, throughout the years, been the recipient of very profound and incredible blessings. Most of the words spoken have been reminders of sacred truths or comforts for times of distress or need. There have been a few times where I have received direct counsel about what I am to do on this earth and what my blessings are for. Some of those revelations pertain to my role as a mother. Without going into sacred specifics, I will say that Heavenly Father recognizes in me the deeply innate maternal nature that has governed my thoughts and actions for most of my cognitive life. He recognizes in me an ability to nurture, care for, teach, and love His precious little spirits in righteousness. I am grateful to know that I am supported by heaven in how I raise my little one. It is a constant confirmation that, no matter where else I may feel I am failing, there is one thing in which I excel. I am grateful for the gift and blessing of my ability to mother righteously. Mothering comes pretty easily to me. Domestic pursuits fulfill me and bring me limitless joy (yes, even laundry makes me happy). While I still have to make conscious choices to be certain I am raising T as the Lord would have me do, it is not something I have ever really struggled to maintain.

However, it is another gift of the spirit, which takes a bit more effort from me, that I have been striving to magnify as of late. In one of the aforementioned blessings of specific counsel, I was told that the feelings of betrayal, disappointment, and loneliness I have experienced have not been in vain. I was told that my mission is to speak words of comfort and peace. Now, speaking words of comfort and peace is not such a difficult thing for me to do. I enjoy complimenting others and helping them to see goodness and the Lord's hand in all the miracles and wonders around us. I am happy to encourage and uplift and support...most of the time. Sometimes, though, I want to use my quick wit and intellect to put cocky and arrogant individuals in their places. I want to hear the gossip about why someone was fired or be privy to the "dirt" on the seemingly perfect girls. Sometimes I just want to. But that is not my mission. That does not help me act as Heavenly Father's hands. That is not the example I want to set or what I want to define the kind of person I am. So, I have been trying to keep my revealed mission in the forefront of my mind. And, while I am certainly not flawless in my thoughts and deeds, I have had my heart opened to some incredible insights and experiences.

I find that the more I strive to speak those powerful, yet subtle, words of comfort and peace, the more God chooses to use me. I have been able to be His instrument and I have been blessed. He has used me to mourn with his beloved daughters who have suffered immeasurable loss. He has used me to provide service that was needed in ways I could never have imagined without His prompting. He has used me to truly bring comfort and peace. I am grateful beyond expression. It is especially humbling that, in most cases, I don't realize that He is using me until well after the words have been spoken or the deed has been done. It is then, when confirmation comes of the impact of my actions, that I feel so infinitely blessed. It is addictive, this do-gooding. It fills me with joy and gratitude, and many times I feel that I, too, have been comforted and set at peace all the more. It is a joy to serve my God; it is a joy to serve His children. How grateful I am for my Father in Heaven. How grateful I am that He, in His perfect and eternal wisdom, would give me such a sacred and essential role to speak comfort and peace.

On this blessed Easter day, may I act to fulfill my mission as I close. Christ the Lord is risen today. Hallelujah! Because of His ultimate and altruistic sacrifice, we have the opportunity to live again. For your sins, for your pains, for every ache, sorrow, disappointment, grief, and feeling you will ever know, He died...and He rose. There is no path you will ever walk alone. There is no tear you cry that He does not hold in His hand. There is no joy you feel that He does not rejoice with you. His incomprehensible love falls upon you, His mighty arms enfold you, His tender mercies surround you. Is there a greater message of comfort and peace?