Father knows best

A few years ago I was released from a calling that just about kicked my rear.  It was challenging to say the least and stretched me in ways that I never could have imagined.  It was a calling that I really did NOT want to accept but submitted my will and gave it my very best effort the entire time I held it.  At the end of that time I felt really good about the work I had done. 

So I thought I deserved (as a reward of sorts) that maybe it would be okay if I asked Heavenly Father to give me a calling I wanted now that I was done.  I had a conversation with him something like this: "Heavenly Father, don't you think it would be cool if I was put in young women since I have two girls in young women?"  I worked in the young women program for 17 years before Jensen (our oldest daughter) was a part of it.  SEVENTEEN years is a long time and none of that time or energy had benefited my own girls.  I thought it would be cool if he answered my prayerful request by inspiring my bishop to call me to the young woman organization in my group.  I didn't care where I served there, just wanted to be with my girls. It sounded fun.  It seemed like a fairly righteous desire.

But instead I got called to something else.  Something that didn't require very much of my time.  It wasn't very challenging.  It didn't stretch me.  And honestly, it frustrated me.  Here I had all this time on my hands and I was given a responsibility that required virtually nothing from me.

So I decided to go looking for something that WOULD challenge me.  I wanted to learn and grow and be anxiously engaged in a good cause.  Before I knew it, and within a matter of a few months:

1).  I found myself on the executive board of the Prosper Ladies Association (a philanthropic organization in my town).  I had the chance to work shoulder to shoulder with some really remarkable like-minded  women.  We did some pretty cool charitable things.

2.)  I was elected PTO President of my girls' middle school with a dear friend.  We staffed our board with great ladies (members of my faith and good women who were members of other faiths).  We formed strong friendships that I still treasure today.  I look back at the time in my life and I think it was the first time in all of my adult years that I had more NON member friends than I did member friends.  It was such a good experience and I learned a lot from those great ladies.

3.) I read and re-read my patriarchal blessing over and over again for several months and because of some things written in there, I decided to go back to school, get my Masters Degree, and become a licensed counselor.  

My plan was to get so busy that even if they came to me and asked me to do something in my ward that required a lot of me, I would have to (spitefully) turn them down.   Take that!

It's hard for me to admit that now, but it was where my head was at the time.  Hopefully I have grown a little since then.

Flash forward five years and I am a licensed counselor driving home from a day at my office.  On that particular day I had just met with someone who was going through a truly tragic situation.  I felt good about the session I had just left and was praying for the woman I had met with (something I often do as I head to the office and as I am returning home).  I was expressing gratitude for the work we had done and the progress we had made and the fact that the Spirit had helped me know what to say to help.

And then just as I closed this silent prayer in the car, a thought came into my mind:

"Ya know, you never would have been in a position to help her...

if you would have been called to be a young woman leader...because you never would have gone looking for more..."

I smiled when I reflected on that.

All the way home.

I know Heavenly Father can make so much more out of our lives than we can.  He has done that so many times in my life.  I've seen it happen in the lives of others that I associate with, as well.  

I'm grateful for:

unanswered prayers 

inspired Bishops 

patriarchal blessings

and being sstttrrreeetttccchhhheeeddd in the best ways.