Time for our weekly lesson from the Old Testament – and by weekly, I mean once a year. Maybe.
Here’s the backstory: Moses had freed the children of Israel from bondage and taken them to the wilderness. They Children of Israel complain, rebel, repent, complain and get hungry. Moses goes to the Lord and finds the solution: The Children of Israel can eat Manna every day, which will be literally dropped on them.
Then the Children of Israel get tired of manna. I mean, other than pizza, what could you eat every day and not get tired of it? They sit around and complain to eat other “Remember how great it was back in Egypt when we could have some fish, with cucumbers and onions and garlic? Yum! And we’re stuck here eating this gross manna every.single.day.” (Numbers 11:5-6)
Moses could hear their whining, and so could God. (There were a LOT of Children of Israel. At last count there had been over 600,000 – and that was just the men over age 20. So, we are talking MILLIONS of whiny Children of Israel.)
Here’s what happened – straight out of the book of Numbers:
Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. (Numbers 11: 10-15)
• Modern day translation: Hey, these aren’t MY kids. If you seriously expect me to keep doing this job, and if you have ever really loved me – just KILL ME NOW!
I’m guessing that Moses isn’t the last person that ever felt that way about a calling. But, you have to give Moses credit – he did follow the proper line of authority and initiate a conversation with the person that originally extended the call to him.
The Lord did not grant Moses’ request of a permanent release, but he did give him some help.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear he burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. (Numbers 11:16-17)
And the lessons we learn from this story?
1) Meat is yummy.
2) When you are in a tent, you can hear everything going on outside.
3) If we are struggling with a calling, we should talk to the person that extended the call to us. Not complain to each other.
4) If death looks like a viable alternative to your calling, you are probably in the Scouting program.
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i stumbled into your blog on LDS Living. I find that you and I think a lot alike. I’m now a member of your Blog and look forward to more insight!!! JG
Love this story.
I love this story from the Old Testament.
I have had many different callings over the years. Right now I’m struggling with my calling in YW. It’s a love/hate thing. I’m sure as soon as I feel comfortable and start to really enjoy it-I will be released. Ha! My favorite callings have been Nursery Leader (love,love,love! those little souls) and Visiting Teaching. I have met some amazing sisters that I never would have imagined would become life long friends.
My husband has been in scouts for 7 years. I think our only way to get him out is to move.
Why move just to be the scoutmaster in another ward? :). Scouting takes a LOT of time and patience, and that is not even mentioning getting all the training you need. But being in scouting for close to 15 years, it does have its rewards.
A Happy Hubby
Oh and great post BTW. Love the whiny children.
Dude. Meat IS good.Particularaly if it’s a nice beef filet wrapped in bacon and covered in green peppercorn sauce.
Current calling 5 years. Calling before that 3 years. Calling before that 3 years. Total of 6 in Young Womens. I am afraid to even speak of it for fear of jinxing myself and getting released. The only true and living calling in the church.
And I have had every age group. They all have their challenges and their awesomenesses (yeah, I just made that up). Trick is to capitalize on the strengths and use a trick I like to call “guided discovery”. Guiding them to discover you what you wanted all along. They are much more inclined to be reverent if you they want it themselves, just tricky helping them “discover” that desire.
Please elaborate on the the “discover” secret. I think the only thing my awesome YW want is chaos. What the aitch is guided discovery. Sounds like a marriage therapy technique or something.
Pertaining to rule #4… Unless you are a Scouting-lifer like my husband, in which case any other calling is just a temporary roadblock until they can get you back into Scouts. 😉
For some reason I first read the title of this post as “And You Thought You Hated YOUR Ceiling”. I was confused as to why you would choose to write about house decor. But I feel better now.
hahahaha!
Who DOESN’T have multiple callings – except Presidencies whose callings are by their nature multiple.
I LOVE Scouting – or what Scouting could/should be. Too few understand how well Scouting fits with the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood. Scouting is not given the time it needs to develop boys – too many mid-week meetings are hijacked.
Right now one of my callings is driving me buggy – and I used to think it was a relatively easy one – even though they have had trouble filling it.
My other calling – youth Sunday School teacher is exciting and challenging as I try to learn to do it right in the new program. The kids are great.
This seriously is one of my favorite stories. I love it for all the reasons you listed–Moses is upset, but he turns to the Lord. I love the example that it’s okay to struggle, as long as you turn to the Lord. I love that the 70 men get the opportunity to serve and help Moses. I love in verse 29, “Would to God, that all the Lord’s people were prophets.” With this, we all can receive the spirit of prophecy (for our own sphere, and help out the leaders that way, that the Lord will pour out his spirit.) That and the whole meat coming out of their nostrils, and they’ll be sick of it–I love that the Lord has a sense of humor. And that everyone dies of food poisoning. It’s a great story. (They were craving the world and not the Lord. I’m not a vegetarian and I like meat. I do love that they don’t even get to enjoy it and they all die.)
Actually, I did this once, and it worked. 🙂 I was in a situation that wasn’t good, so I told the Lord, and He released me. Much more effective than other ways. 🙂
I was YW President for 4 years, including 5 summers at YW camp and every youth conference except one (they only wanted couple chaperones for trek and I’m single). Now I teach Primary, am RS Meeting Coordinator, and recently added Stake Single Adult Rep (ugh!). I’d take back YW President in a heartbeat!
At least I didn’t have to constantly tell the YW to sit down, put their chair down, stop taking the pencil apart, raise you hand, stop talking, give me the toy, stop poking her and my personal favorite, No, the golden plates are not in a Jesus museum (huh??). And that’s just on Sunday; don’t even get me started on the RS sisters 😉
That’s what I do in YW. Tell them to sit down, put their chair down, stop eating, stop talking, stop poking, put your shoes back on, raise your hand, yes you do need to participate. It’s like nursery but with 12 year olds.
I am learning that I am an anomaly in the church. IMHO the 2 “Best” callings are in Scouts – Cubs or Boy Scouts – and Girls camp. I am so fortunate to be serving as Scout committee chair – which means I am sort of in charge but have no authority of anyone or anything, and Stake girls camp assistant (similar description).
Really – making paper airplanes, going on field trips, learning about tons of cool stuff, with a group of squirrels. COUNT ME IN! And girls camp – 130 teenage girls, no showers, no cell phones, no boys and enough of the spirit to fill my bucket for about a year. I’ll beg, borrow or steal my chance to go. These kids are awesome. They want to learn and they want to feel like someone cares about them, they WANT to be good and do good. I am inspired by the youth in the church. Really.
I love my Bears! I have been doing Cubs for about 8 years. My frustration is because my Bishopric can never keep a good assistant den leader with me. Just when we are working great together, they give her a new calling.
I’m a lover of Scouting. I’m not a fan of “boys club by the spalding method”. In fact, I detest it. I wish more men would catch the vision of helping to raise the next generation. But I’m sequestered with the 4 year olds now.
Early morning seminary. I’m not saying it’s the hardest calling there is–every calling is the hardest if you feel worn out, unqualified, overburdened, or work with people who are difficult to get along with.
I work full time and teach early morning seminary not in my home, which means I have 15-20 min of travel one way for seminary. I have no other life than this. I have found myself daydreaming of being a nursery leader. Same student participation and reaction to the lesson, WAY LESS preparation and fewer class hours.
I’m not to Moses’ frustration level yet, but I can give him a hearty “I hear ya, man” fist bump, but then I’d remember that I’m a woman, so then I would make him a casserole and some brownies.
I just wanted to thank you for the job you are doing. I am so grateful for the seminary program and the difference it is making in my son’s life. He has a great teacher, which I’m sure you are too. Please just know what a HUGE influence you are to those kids and all the good that you are doing!
Great post! Have you got anything for those of us with multiple callings??? (Activity Day: 3years; Ward Choir Director: 2 years; Stake Music Librarian: 2 years)
What about praying to be released? Has that worked for anyone?
*Sigh* I really am trying to have a good attitude about being pulled in several directions. I guess I’m just having a “Moses Day.” It’s nice to know even Moses had days like this!!!
I have learned -through experience – that you may have been called by inspiration, and sometimes they just don’t realize that you need to be released, unless you tell them. I wholeheartedly believe in accepting the calls that extended (with prayer and personal revelation about them – there are few exceptions…) BUT sometimes the person extending the calls doesn’t have time (or take the time) to pray about who needs to be released and replaced because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I was attending church alone on Sunday’s with 3 kids 3 and under and serving in the Primary Presidency. I faithfully and dutifuly fulfilled my calling (and dreaded Sundays more than anything…) When I brought it up to the bishopric, they and the primary prez had no idea that I was broken and lonely and struggling and couldn’t keep doing what I was doing.
I have prayed to be released or at least a confirmation that I should carry on.
“Heavenly Father I have been the (fill in calling name here)for a long time and I am having a difficult time. If it is time for me to be released please inspire the Bishopric to make a change. If this is where you would have me to continue serving please give me the strength to keep going.”
I served as Primary Chorister and Ward Choir Director for over 17 years. I finally told the current bishop how long it had been since I’d had a challenge. Now I’m serving in YW. Sometimes they don’t realize…. But be careful what you wish/ask for! 🙂
I did almost the exact thing Joslyn did–I prayed to know whether I was in the calling in which I could best serve or that would strengthen me the most. If so, would He please help me to have more inspiration and patience for the calling and if not, could I please be released. I was released within a month. Prayer works!
@Joslyn
I think the nervous breakdown in the parking lot was a hint that it was time to consider being released.
🙂
So the takeaway from this is that callings make us want to kill each other. Hm. That jives with my experience. Sanctification by murderousness. Interesting this plan of salvation. It occurs to me that I was called as a Gospel Doctrine teacher to keep me out of harm’s way.
Same here: Gospel Doctrine. Limited my exposure to 40 minutes every other week. Probably a wise move.
When I was YW prez I struggled with my counselors and several other things going on. I made an appointment with my bishopric counselor over me and we sat down and came up with solutions. And new counselors. It’s definitely the ‘calling not the person’ but the person in the calling can make a HUGE difference!
Love the post.: )
1. Bacon is yummy. Beef’s tongue, sheep’s head, and offal are not.
2. Speaking of tents: was the Liahona outside the tent as depicted in the infamous image with Lehi that appears in every primary class at some point OR was it inside the tent as a careful reading of the BoM and a knowledge of the Hebrew laws at the time will claim…
3. What if the person who extended the calling is no longer in the position (nor is their successor…or their successor…you’re just stuck in a calling because the latest leader says you’re really good at it after, mmmm, let’s say 4 years. Oh, and no one else will do it. AND – did I mention it’s also not an ‘official’ church calling so it looks like you don’t HAVE a calling to anyone in your ward directory, so you also get asked to do a bazillion other things too???) Not that this has happened to me…just, uh, wondering.
4. Or anything to do with Mia Maids. <3
Lori. Darling. It is time to back of the Monsters as breakfast beverages.
#3: It is the calling not the person.
Clearly MMM hasn’t served in Young Women before… I’ll add you to my prayers Lori!
Does serving as the leader of the YW leaders count? It should!
That depends. How many times did you attend YW camp and stay for the entire time? Were any of your Beehives similar to those critters in Mark 5:11-16?
Only go to stay one day each time. Loved it. Just don’t try and equate a few days of girls camp with 18 nights a year with Boy Scouts. Not even close.
I just have to know if “Lori. Darling.” Was said as a quote from the movie Lonesome Dove? It’s the first thing I thought of when I read it. 🙂
Lori, Lori, Lori……MerMaids – I mean MiaMaids are the best!
And MMM has a good point, time for you to start hittin the Monster’s again. They get a girl through anything.
okay your lessons learned cracked me up!!!! I think this story of Moses is the first group of entitled people… sure they’d been slaves but that’s what messed them up – today we have slaves – slaves to the welfare system or the government… they want everybody to do everything for them… drives me crazy…I can feel Moses’ pain! Sometimes death does seem like a great alternative to this crazy world.
Your final lesson learned was hilarious.. scouting..hahahaha. You are so funny!
Ahhh scouts. Pinewood Derby last month-Ben fell off a 6ft ladder putting up decorations. Fell Hard! Shattered his scapula (one of the hardest bones to break) and broke a rib, too. Joking aside, it was a literal miracle that he survived it (and he didn’t need surgery!!). Even the paramedics and docs said he was lucky to be alive. But he still got teased that the only way left to try to get out of being with the cub scouts was to fall to his death. 🙂 A few weeks ago, it wasn’t funny. But now I can see the humor in it.
I feel this way every Wednesday night about 8:45, well actually sooner, about 7:30. My Beehives outmaneuver and outfrustrate a group of scouts any day of the week, especially on Sunday. I know I sound like an old lady, but kids these days have no manners, no sense of the sacred, no respect for anyone or anything. And I thought being RSP was a tough calling. And by the way, I agree, meat is Yummy!
# 4 – LOL! I just got released in December, and look forward to the time when I can look back with fondness upon it.
Great post, as always. Thanks for the reminder in # 3.