A Most Special Calling

I guess I can congratulate myself for being in-tune with the Spirit, at least sometimes. Over the past few weeks I have been getting "bored" with my calling as a Relief Society teacher. Don't get me wrong, I love to spout off doctrine in Relief Society. Yes, I am a shy person, but I love to teach the Gospel. I am also a passionate person and the Gospel is my biggest passion. But I was feeling that I could be doing more and honestly missing Primary. Crazy, right? I was so excited to get out of Primary before, but now I missed it.

Well, yesterday I was extended a new calling as the CTR 7 teacher. There are some downsides of having your bishop be your husband since my call was given to me as I was getting dressed for church. (I still feel robbed of my interview time!;) ) I was sustained in sacrament and even had the chance to teach my class too. I wasn't going to start until next week, but my class's teacher didn't show up for her last day so I was on. It went smashingly well, partly because it was the same class I taught when we first moved into the ward. They were CTR 5 then and now are bigger and wiser. And the bonus is my eldest, Anna, is in the class. Can I tell you how excited she is? It's a great group of kids.

I love Primary. It's like motherhood. Sometimes the kids can be insane, but working with them is very rewarding. And I cannot think of a more important calling in the church than serving the children and youth. (we'll save talking about working with the youth for another blog) I wish more people understood the importance of their callings as teachers in Primary and Nursery. Kids are no fools. They can tell when a teacher is prepared and when a teacher cares about them. For some kids church is the only time they have to feel loved and feel the Spirit. Teachers of young children help set the stage for their impression and future enjoyment of church. If they have a miserable time in Primary thanks to a lame teacher, they won't want to keep coming back. Kids want to know they are loved. They will want to go back to a place where they feel that love. That largely comes from teachers and leaders.

There is no time too soon to start teaching a child about the Gospel, that he or she is a child of God and as such is special. What child wouldn't want to hear that? The earlier a child is taught the Gospel, the easier it becomes for it to be a natural part of their life. I love watching my own children share and discuss the knowledge they have learned from us at home. Sometimes it's pretty amusing, like Jimmy telling us that we have to hide our money in our room to keep it safe from the Holy Ghost, but what matters is that they are learning about who they are and what God expects of them. I often wonder if my kids even hear what they repeat and read in scripture study, but then they'll say something about a concept taught in the scriptures we read a few nights ago and completely blow me away. Kids pay attention, they know what's going on around them, even if it seems like they don't.

That's why I cannot think of a better calling than teaching children. It is a special and important job that can be done well by all sorts of people with varying personalities and styles. But the key is that the teacher must be dedicated, have a testimony, and love his students. How hard is that? It's so easy and, yet, so important. The Lord will bless those who serve with all their ability and cherish those who do their best to teach his little ones, a most special calling.