Wednesday, May 5, 2010

STUMBLING BLOCKS

VISITING TEACHING; REWIND;RE-VISIT;MOVE ON. 
So once again VT has raised its ugly head. What a description. I am not sure why Visiting Teaching was established but I am sure that it had and still has a  righteous purpose to bless the body of believers. I know that in my life it has been a double edged sword. We are supposed to get along and help each other,that is my naive take on it. But it seems that is not the case. I spoke with the sister in charge of making VT assignments and once again plead my case for  a change of assignment, and maybe a re-assignment of companion. Even though it might seem logical to have a change of assignment all around, I know deep down inside, it could get worse. This was her sage and wise advice:    
On visiting teaching, I’ll share my thoughts. When the Lord asks us to love our neighbor, there are 3 things we can do, and those are to love, to be an example, and to teach to the level of the other person’s willingness to receive. Certainly in your attempts to communicate with these sisters, you are showing that you care about them and you are being a faithful example. The third one, you reach out to them to whatever level they are willing to receive. If that is just a note in the mail, do that. If it is just a ‘hello’ in the store where they work, do that. If it is a plate of brownies, do that. Fit what you do to what they are willing to receive, and you have fulfilled your errand from the Lord perfectly." P.H.

So you can imagine after reading this, of course the answer was no. So after a few moments of pouting, I gathered myself or in scripture speak, girth my loins, and pondered. She is right after all. I thought of a favorite song by Bonnie Raitt, "I can't make you Love Me". We can't make people do what we want them to do. We can only do what they will allow us to do. I thought about the 4th sister I have and I feel that my companion and I have neglected her throughout all of this "stuff".We have assumed that maybe she could get along without us because she seems to" have it all". I realize that its wrong to judge. I told my companion that we all have to work within the boundaries people set for us.
 Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
In Joshua 24:15 The prophet Joshua exhorts and warns the children of Israel to make a choice. He said Choose now this day whom you will serve; choose life and live, and as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. I sometimes think that as Visiting Sisters, we are like Moses when he had to paint the blood of a sacrificial lamb on to the door posts of  the homes of all the first born sons so that the destroying angel would pass them by. We are all first born sons by virtue of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I also realize that we shouldn't feel that we struggle alone. I know that our Savior feels for us when we are frustrated and fed up with the actions of others, it is futile to try to "go it alone". Take it to the Father in prayer. He'll move those mountains for us or he will lead us around them.   
Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
I love this song by Trisha Yearwood. It sung almost acoustically with help from a banjo,her own testimony

You don't have to move that mountain
Just help me Lord to climb it
You don't have to move that stumbling block
Just show me the way around it.

We must climb a great high mountain
To reach God's gracious kingdom
In his words you'll find the strength
If you will just believe them

Well the way is filled with pit falls
And sometimes we may falter
You can have His grace my friend
On your knees down at the altar

You don't have to move that mountain
Just help me Lord to climb it
You don't have to move that stumbling block
Just show me the way around it.

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