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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Lift Where You Stand

Last year at Priesthood Conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared the following story:


Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.

As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, “Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.”

It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood."

I found this talk titled "Lift Where You Stand" when I was looking up the phrase "magnify your calling" and it really helped me gain some perspective. Nate and I have been in our ward for almost four months now and we haven't received callings yet. Not even to be visiting or home teachers which is really sad. We want blessings, too, right?

Well, today I attended my FIRST Super Saturday activity ever, and I painted my wooden blocks, I hot glued my star, I sprayed my sparkle spray, and it hit me. My calling right now is to be a helpful and involved member of my ward. AND I LOVE IT!! I will love it when it gets more specific, but for now, I truly get a chance to do some of that sustaining and supporting I always raise my hand for. It's so great seeing how awesome people are at their callings without worrying about my own.

So, be grateful for your opportunities to serve and the opportunities to be served within your ward. And express your gratitude to those that make your ward work for you and your family.

2 comments:

  1. We have a super Saturday coming up as well, but I'm not sure if I'm going yet. Maybe I'll just pull out my Martha Stewart book and do stuff at home. And I'm currently in a similar position. I am supposed to be released of all callings until after the baby is born. I'm not sure why, I guess we'll see what God has in mind for me!

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  2. What a wonderful story! Sort of like on pioneer treks where everyone pushed the handcart with just two fingers and no one was exerted, it was easy for them. The more we lift together the easier it is to support and sustain each other. I love that lesson and am so glad you share it. It is something I am sure we can all apply to our lives.

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