CHANGE: As the church makes adjustments, can we keep up?
Before I hit publish on this post, I clicked over to www.mormonnewsroom.org to make sure I didn’t miss some big announcement this morning. It can be hard to keep up.
You know what I’m talking about.
The church is changing as rapidly as my garden in spring: sticklike branches budding with leaves overnight, fresh green tendrils pushing up through decaying leaves, tulips beckoning in the corner, seeds planted long ago that are finally growing into the light. And when my garden flourishes, I have to change my habits– spend more time outside, get comfortable with the dirt, put on a little sunscreen and marvel at God’s great work.
This I know: “There are far better things ahead than what we leave behind.” My good friend C.S. Lewis taught me that truth and I believe it from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, from the corners of my heart to the brightness of my soul.
THERE ARE FAR BETTER THINGS AHEAD THAN WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND.
I’m not saying it doesn’t take some work. My garden always overwhelms me a bit, just as I’ve been overwhelmed by some of the revisions in the church.
Judge me if you like, but the age changes for youth progression and ordination threw me for a bit of a loop. I thought my daughter would be in an awkward position because of her birthday. And I’d truly believed 12 and 16 were sacred ages. I taught my kids about Christ going to the temple at the age of twelve. I taught my boys there was special significance about blessing the sacrament at the same age they could date– about the importance of having clean hands and a pure heart. With these changes, I had to adjust what I thought was true. Now I see it as a tremendous blessing and my daughter is just fine.
Alterations that slid in quietly are the changes to recommendation process for young missionaries. I’m not pretending to be an expert. But from what I understand these changes expands what it means to serve a mission.
My friend Bryce is currently preparing for a six month service mission. His wise bishop calls Bryce ‘a pioneer’ and greets every part of the process with enthusiasm. Because of some challenges, Bryce worried for years about serving a mission. Now that door has been opened to him. His parents still worry about how people in the ward will react to a service mission. They worry if he’ll be judged by girls he wants to date in the future.
AS THE CHURCH CHANGES WE MUST GROW AS A PEOPLE.
We must grow out of judgment, out of self-righteousness and false assumptions. Just as my thoughts about blessing the sacrament at age sixteen were wrong, some of our thoughts about missions are flawed. I think of all the fabulous kids I know who’ve struggled to serve and ended up leaving the church. We can’t afford to lose one more beautiful kid.
Every soul is precious to God. I hope every child, every teen, every missionary, every lonely woman in Relief Society, every man in the vast expanse of the Elders’ quorum, is precious to their ward, to the church, to each of us. When Bryce announces his call in a few weeks, I pray he hears only kind words, enthusiastic voices, sincere expressions of gratitude for his sacrifice. Six months to serve the Lord at age nineteen is truly a sacrifice! Bryce will delay his schooling, put his social life on hold and live all the missionary standards. I honor him for his decision.
As followers of Christ we are constantly called upon to grow, to perfect ourselves, to be more like Him. As the church grows and changes (and we’re going to see so much more), I believe we are all called to expand our hearts, to LOVE with a greater capacity than ever before. To love God with our heart, might, mind and souls and extend that love to every one of his children.
How do you feel about the changes in the church? Have any of the changes been difficult for you to understand? Easy?
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