Being a Mormon is a pretty large commitment. Scratch that–it’s a HUGE commitment. There are the lifestyle choices most people outside the church know about—not drinking alcohol or coffee (and boy do Bostonians love both!), not smoking, abstaining from pre-marital sexual activity, etc. And then there are the time commitments—to attending the three-hour block of meetings on Sundays, to devoting time to personal scripture study, to serving fellow members and the community and to strengthening family and personal relationships.
Like I said, a commitment!
But in a global society based on individual preference (“I do what I want”), no one is forcing anyone to be a Mormon. In fact, one of the key scriptures LDS Missionaries use when they teach church investigators (and it applies to all members) is to “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true” (Moroni 10:4). Members are taught to continually reaffirm what they know by studying out what they believe and asking God if it’s true. No bishop is holding me hostage in my church commitments. I’m free to leave at any time. (So put those “the Mormon church is a cult” claims away.) I’m here because I want to be. Over time, as I continue talking more about these things, I think you’ll begin to understand why I’m here.
A very long story short, I feel peace being a Mormon. It brings me joy. In a turbulent world, I have faith–and in today’s climate–that’s a rarity, isn’t it? The love I feel from God and from Jesus Christ are enough to help me endure the turmoil of daily living. Isn’t that something you’d want to pass along to your family and friends?
I remember teaching a guy about our church and my friends kept telling him how big of a sacrifice it is to join our church. They emphasized over and over again how much time it takes. How we spend tons of hours serving, how we go visit one another, go to activities, are asked to teach at church, etc. etc. I seriously started panicking. I thought this guy would walk away thinking – there is no way I want my life to be like that. He was already super busy with school and his life. I was wrong.
He loved how much our church serves and helps one another. He loved the commitment. He loved the people and he joined the church and spends a lot of his time now serving in the church.
From the outside, people think it’s a big commitment. But I think there is a paradox of choice happening in the world where people love to belong. They love to have good life guidelines. And they appreciate being in a community of love and support.
Thanks Brooke! Until I wrote this post I hadn’t taken the time to itemize how we spend our time as church members–it’s become such a habit.
Serving others and being an active member of such an organized community helps keep my eyes looking out instead of inward. My paternal grandpa used to quote Confucius often and the one I remember most is “Man wrapped up in self make small package.” I think all people (regardless of religious affiliation) would agree our world would be a better place if everyone tried harder to look out for someone else.
Funny how looking only at yourself you start to believe life is hard, you have problems or issues, and life can just get you down. It isn’t until you truly start to look at others, that you can see you are not alone, that everyone has problems, and often much worse problems than yours!
Natalie! Totally stalked you to this blog and love it. Brilliant idea and I love how well you articulate your thoughts.
I feel like another word that people within the Mormon church and people looking in on our church often use to describe these “commitments” is sacrifice. “I am sacrificing so much to go to church on Sunday, my one day off” or “Giving up 10% of my income is a huge sacrifice for me” or “Are you kidding me? No way I could give up (sacrifice) alcohol.” I do not in any way mean that paying tithing isn’t a sacrifice or that it’s sometimes difficult to abstain from day-to-day activities on Sunday, but I have always like the word investment better. By doing and not doing the things I do, I am investing in something greater, something higher. I visit teach because I am investing in someone else’s physical and spiritual well being. I study the words of prophets, ancient and modern, because I am investing in the blessings that come from knowing and loving the words of Christ. I don’t have pre-martial sex because I am investing in the future of my family and the covenants I will make with God. I know that these things I invest in have a huge return, sometimes for me, sometimes for others, but the return makes every commitment worth it.
Annie — that’s such a beautiful way to think about commitment. I’ve never heard it articulated quite that way but I’m sure now I’ll never forget it. Thanks for sharing!
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