Power to Transform

Over the past year or so there has been a lot of attention on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the controversy surrounding the Priesthood. When these discussions come up, the thing that keeps coming to my mind is simply how grateful I am for the Priesthood. I think it is important here to clarify that I mean I am grateful for the power of God on the earth, not the men who hold that power (although that is true too).

The older I get and the more men I meet and date, the more I see the importance of the transforming power of the Priesthood. The majority of the boys I have dated are, well to put it simply, goofy. They like nothing more than to have fun and they make me laugh. A lot. Their ability to be lighthearted and make everything into an adventure was one of the things that I liked most about them. In the end, though, it wasn't what impressed me.

What impressed me about most of them is the transformation that took place each and every time they were asked to do something that fell within the realm of Priesthood responsibilities. Don't get me wrong, they were wonderful people even when they weren't called upon to fulfill a responsibility of that sort. The deep understanding they had of the privilege and responsibility it was to act in behalf of God and under His specific direction transformed them. These goofy boys were also dedicated, hard working, and respectful of the task at hand, whether it was teaching a lesson or giving a talk in Church, discussing Church doctrines, administering Priesthood blessings, administering the Sacrament, doing their home teaching, taking care of their families, or going to school or work.

The times when they were actively using the Priesthood power and fulfilling their responsibilities were the times when they most clearly had an eternal perspective. In a world full of distractions competing for their attention, they understood (although briefly sometimes) what was truly important.

This transforming power doesn't just work on the men who hold the Priesthood, though. I have seen that same transformation occur as people of all types change as they take part in sacred Priesthood ordinances. Baptism, partaking of the Sacrament, work in the temples, magnifying callings in the Church. All of those things transform everyone and while some specific responsibilities are asked of only one gender or the other, all of them are actions that all members of the Church can take part in as long as they are worthy.

With all of this madness and controversy, I think one of the most important things to focus on is simply that we have the power of God on this earth and have such incredible access to it.