We’re excited to have Tara kick off our Sunday Moments posts! Each Sunday a sister will be sharing a spiritual experience or uplifting Sunday message. These posts share our personal thoughts and experiences and do not represent official statements or doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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I am lucky enough to be the primary music leader in my ward. I seriously LOVE it! It has been my favorite calling ever. EVER! I love the kids, I love getting to play fun games with them, I love getting to teach them the gospel through music, I love everything about it.
Sometimes, the kids get a little nutso. Fast Sundays are especially hard, because we are combined to give our teachers the opportunity to go to the teacher training counsel. So I need an activity that will engage kids from 3-12 all at the same time. Usually, I stress about these lessons the most. How am I going to keep all the kids entertained? How am I going to keep them all reverent? How am I going to survive?! Luckily, surviving hasn’t been an issue…yet haha. It is nice to get it all done at once, but also CRAZY! They feed off each other, and they want to sit not in their classes (which is totally not a big deal, but does take away from the reverence aspect). So usually, I bring something brand new, or a tried and true favorite.
A few Sundays ago was one such Sunday. We were learning our May song, and I had the seniors teach the juniors part of it, so they felt more involved and didn’t lose interest. My friend’s husband was sitting with one of the classes volunteering and made the comment later that I seemed “totally over” my calling. She told me this later, and I was seriously CRUSHED. I LOVE my calling, yes I had to get a little firmer so they would calm down and listen, but I still loved it and walked away feeling like that lesson had been a success.
This was totally an eye opener for me. If someone came in for one week and saw that in me, what were the kids seeing? Were they seeing how much I loved them? How much I wanted for them? How much the Savior loved them? It has made be more aware of how I act in my calling. I want the kids to know how important they are! And how much I love being in there with them. Sometimes they make me want to pull my hair out, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. I have started being more prayerful as I prepare (which I thought I was doing, but I saw some serious room for improvement), I have started praying before I go in, that we can have fun and still feel the spirit. That one comment from my friend made me take a step back and seriously rethink how I am approaching my calling.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve those kids! I love them, I love my Savior, and I know He loves them so much! That is what I want those kids to leave each week knowing.
-Tara