Possible Calling
Today, my thoughts are full. I find myself jumping from one to another. I don't seem to be focused on any one thing. I am leaving the title of the message blank until I am done rambling and then I will come back to it.
I have had the opportunity to teach the 8 year old primary class the past few weeks. I know that the primary president would like to make it permanent, but is waiting for approval from the stake president. So, though a call has not been officially extended from the Bishopric, I have it on good sources that this is the intended path of the class.
This young group of children are an interesting mix. I have the son of the Elder Quorum President, the son of the First Councilor in the Bishopric, the son of our Ward Membership Clerk, the son of our Stake Clerk, the daughter of our Ward Clerk, the daughter of our former Elders Quorum President, and then two children who have not been baptized. One of the latter would like to be, but her parents have not permitted it. The other comes to Sacrament Meeting, but hates staying for primary and it seems to give his mother an excuse to go home.
That being said, one would look at the names of this class, know who they are and start forming a vision of what they should be like. Most of them of are from strong upstanding homes. Thus, one would think they would be well behaved and have a good knowledge of the gospel. Why do we do that? Why do we make that assumption?
I know that when I was that age, I was not the most pleasant student to have in class. I guess I am getting a dose of that, "When you grow-up" curse. They have been on my mind a great deal. I think about teaching them. I think about ways to reach them. I hope that I am able figure out a way to provide a level of spirituality where they may be touched by the spirit. I want the gospel to become real to them. I want them to get excited about it.
I am a dreamer, but so was Lehi. The girls are angels, most of the time. The boys are just being 8 year old boys. I realized that. I also realize that no matter how hard I try, they are not going to get it unless they want to. I just have to figure out what will motivate them to want to.
Anyway, now you have been given a small glimpse of my class. This past Sunday, I set them up. Before class started, I placed a plate of freshly baked cookies in the room. They were unwrapped with one off the plate and a bit taken out of it. After opening exercises, these little 8 year old ran to class. I went to the library to get some chalk. I could hear them all the way down the hall. "OOOOOHHH COOKIES". I gave them a minute and then joined them in class.
Not one of them had eaten a cookie. I asked where they had come from. They did not know. I pretended to not know either. We talked about it and then I said, "It has been almost 40 min. since the last ward got out. I guess it would be OK to eat them." I offered each of them a cookie. Some declined, some were hesitant, and finally some just grabbed and ate. Once one or two grabbed, some of the hesitant ones did the same. I was surprised to see who did not grab, but they struggled with it the entire class. I just left the plate sitting there and then we talked about agency. We talked about choosing and why we made the choices we did.
Today, I am think that we should have also talked about consequences. We should have talked about being accountable for the choices we make when using our agency. I will have to remember that. I don't know that they will understand it while in my class, but I think it will be important for them to learn.
We talked about the War in Heaven. All of us used our agency. Some were not happy with the consequences of those choices. Some of them have bodies and some of them don't. Those who don't are very bitter. They wish they could just make it all go away. I wonder about them. I wonder if they were living in the moment and excitement of Lucifer's persuasion. Was it just that they were not able to envision the future and the outcome of their choices? I don't know.
I do know that if we don't live our lives with the vision of the future, we may find ourselves in a similar boat. We must be accountable. Just like my primary kids, they are going to have to want to learn. We have to want to or it does us no good.
Take from it what you will, I have a feeling this is going to be on my mind for a while.
I have had the opportunity to teach the 8 year old primary class the past few weeks. I know that the primary president would like to make it permanent, but is waiting for approval from the stake president. So, though a call has not been officially extended from the Bishopric, I have it on good sources that this is the intended path of the class.
This young group of children are an interesting mix. I have the son of the Elder Quorum President, the son of the First Councilor in the Bishopric, the son of our Ward Membership Clerk, the son of our Stake Clerk, the daughter of our Ward Clerk, the daughter of our former Elders Quorum President, and then two children who have not been baptized. One of the latter would like to be, but her parents have not permitted it. The other comes to Sacrament Meeting, but hates staying for primary and it seems to give his mother an excuse to go home.
That being said, one would look at the names of this class, know who they are and start forming a vision of what they should be like. Most of them of are from strong upstanding homes. Thus, one would think they would be well behaved and have a good knowledge of the gospel. Why do we do that? Why do we make that assumption?
I know that when I was that age, I was not the most pleasant student to have in class. I guess I am getting a dose of that, "When you grow-up" curse. They have been on my mind a great deal. I think about teaching them. I think about ways to reach them. I hope that I am able figure out a way to provide a level of spirituality where they may be touched by the spirit. I want the gospel to become real to them. I want them to get excited about it.
I am a dreamer, but so was Lehi. The girls are angels, most of the time. The boys are just being 8 year old boys. I realized that. I also realize that no matter how hard I try, they are not going to get it unless they want to. I just have to figure out what will motivate them to want to.
Anyway, now you have been given a small glimpse of my class. This past Sunday, I set them up. Before class started, I placed a plate of freshly baked cookies in the room. They were unwrapped with one off the plate and a bit taken out of it. After opening exercises, these little 8 year old ran to class. I went to the library to get some chalk. I could hear them all the way down the hall. "OOOOOHHH COOKIES". I gave them a minute and then joined them in class.
Not one of them had eaten a cookie. I asked where they had come from. They did not know. I pretended to not know either. We talked about it and then I said, "It has been almost 40 min. since the last ward got out. I guess it would be OK to eat them." I offered each of them a cookie. Some declined, some were hesitant, and finally some just grabbed and ate. Once one or two grabbed, some of the hesitant ones did the same. I was surprised to see who did not grab, but they struggled with it the entire class. I just left the plate sitting there and then we talked about agency. We talked about choosing and why we made the choices we did.
Today, I am think that we should have also talked about consequences. We should have talked about being accountable for the choices we make when using our agency. I will have to remember that. I don't know that they will understand it while in my class, but I think it will be important for them to learn.
We talked about the War in Heaven. All of us used our agency. Some were not happy with the consequences of those choices. Some of them have bodies and some of them don't. Those who don't are very bitter. They wish they could just make it all go away. I wonder about them. I wonder if they were living in the moment and excitement of Lucifer's persuasion. Was it just that they were not able to envision the future and the outcome of their choices? I don't know.
I do know that if we don't live our lives with the vision of the future, we may find ourselves in a similar boat. We must be accountable. Just like my primary kids, they are going to have to want to learn. We have to want to or it does us no good.
Take from it what you will, I have a feeling this is going to be on my mind for a while.
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