Come and Belong

The church is structured to give us practice in becoming like Christ. What about those of us who go years on end with no calling in the church? Yes, I’m getting more bitter about that. I’m failing at home and useless outside the home. I have no role in the ward and hate my position at work.

What did he say about becoming the person you were meant to become? I’m becoming a bitter, shriveled, hopeless person and yet I remain convinced that that isn’t who I was meant to be.

When a child runs away from home they may not notice the loving parents looking out the window after them. Sometimes you chase the child down and bring them back but other times you let them go and hope they will learn and return.

God doesn’t wait to find a perfect person to call to the work.

Because of His profound and eternal love, Jesus Christ suffered and died for you and me.

However, being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves much more than talking and preaching of Christ. The Savior Himself restored His Church to help us on the path to become more like Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured to provide opportunities to practice the fundamentals of discipleship. Through our participation in the Church, we learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We develop the disposition of reaching out in compassion and kindness to others.

This is an effort of a lifetime, and it requires practice.

Maybe I needed more practice at home.

As an airline captain, I often trained pilots using a flight simulator—a sophisticated machine that replicates the flying experience. The simulator not only helps pilots learn the fundamentals of flying; it also allows them to experience and react to unexpected events they could encounter when they take command of the real aircraft.

The same principles apply for disciples of Jesus Christ.

I can’t decide if I am hearing something wing but it sounds like the church served as a simulator for learning to act like a true disciple in the real world.

We invite you to come and help! Come and serve with us, ministering to God’s children, following in the footsteps of the Savior, and making this world a better place.

Come and belong! You will make us stronger. And you will become better, kinder, and happier as well. Your faith will deepen and grow more resilient—more capable of withstanding the turbulences and unexpected trials of life.

It is the feeling of belonging that I have missed. I know I belong but I still feel forgotten.

Jesus the Christ, though He is “the King of kings,” the Messiah, “the Son of the living God,” does care deeply about each and every one of God’s children. He cares regardless of a person’s position—how poor or rich, how imperfect or proven someone is. During His mortal life, the Savior ministered to all: to the happy and accomplished, to the broken and lost, and to those without hope. Often, the people He served and ministered to were not individuals of prominence, beauty, or wealth. Often, the people He lifted up had little to offer in return but gratitude, a humble heart, and the desire to have faith.

He served them whether they offered even gratitude in return.

We are His beloved children.

Even those who reject Him.

Even those who, like a headstrong, unruly child, become angry with God and His Church, pack their bags, and storm out the door proclaiming that they’re running away and never coming back.

When a child runs away from home, he or she may not notice the concerned parents looking out the window. With tender hearts, they watch their son or daughter go—hoping their precious child will learn something from this heartrending experience and perhaps see life with new eyes—and eventually return home.

So it is with our loving Heavenly Father. He is waiting for our return.

Your Savior, tears of love and compassion in His eyes, awaits your return. Even when you feel far away from God, He will see you; He will have compassion for you and run to embrace you.

Come and belong.

It is often the shame felt by the child at their own actions that keeps them from returning more even then fear of how their parents might respond.

We are pilgrims walking the road of mortality in a grand search for meaning and ultimate truth. Often, all we see is the path directly ahead—we cannot see where the bends in the road will lead. Our loving Heavenly Father has not given us every answer. He expects us to figure out many things for ourselves. He expects us to believe—even when it’s difficult to do so.

He expects us to straighten our shoulders and develop a little resolve—a little backbone—and take another step forward.

That is the way we learn and grow.

We can’t know how much we will believe when it’s hard unless we have experienced hard and believed.

As with Joseph, our discipleship begins with our decision to hear and follow the Savior Jesus Christ.

If you desire to follow Him, gather your faith and take upon yourself His cross.

You will find that you do belong in His Church—a place of warmth and welcoming where you can join in the grand pursuit of discipleship and happiness.

What, then, is your and my part?

It is to learn of Jesus Christ. To study His words. To hear Him and to follow Him by actively participating in this great work. I invite you to come and belong!

You don’t have to be perfect. You only have to have a desire to develop your faith and draw nearer to Him each day.

Our part is to love and serve God and to love and serve God’s children.

We should measure ourselves against our desire to love and serve others.