This past month was a crazy one for me at church. I started two callings (VT supervisor, primary teacher), was released from both of those callings and got a different one (primary president--say wha??), and was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting. My topic was the talk by Elder Zwick at the last General Conference, "What Are You Thinking?"
In preparing for the talk, I remembered a quote I heard a while back by C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity:
"When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected: I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself.
"Now that may be an extenuating circumstance as regards those particular acts: they would obviously be worse if they had been deliberate and premeditated. On the other hand, surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth?
"If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.”
I love the analogy at the end: "If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. "
I have days where my poor children see a lot of my "rats in the cellar." Yet ever since I heard that quote, I have tried very hard to remind myself that no one can "make me feel" a certain way. Another person's actions do not create my feelings or make me respond in a certain way--I always have a choice. Those rats are kind of like our natural man tendencies that each of us can overcome.
And next time you feel like your cellar rats might be revealed, try picturing a totally ridiculous picture like this (the internet is a strange place, full of bizarre pictures!). You never know what might help you calm down!
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I love this analogy. My kids see a lot of my "rats" as well, and I've been working on it the last little while. It is hard, but through Christ we really can overcome anything and really get rid of those rats.
ReplyDeleteI love this quote Bethany-- thanks for sharing it. It's easy to be charitable when we (and our kids) are well-rested, well-fed, and everything is going smoothly, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will be a wonderful Primary president! I have learned so much from our amazing Primary president over the last two years. She does things totally differently than what is natural for me, which has shown me a new/better way of leadership. Is your Primary program coming up soon? Hopefully it's already taken care of for this year and you don't have to plan it until next year :)
The program isn't until November. The Bishop gave me the option of waiting for the calling until after the program was done, and I just decided I couldn't sit around and feel anxious about the impending calling that long. Better to just jump in and get going!
DeleteGreat thoughts, Bethany! I love C.S. Lewis! Thank-you for sharing those quotes. Primary President is a HUGE responsibility! I have never been the president of an organization, but being a counselor in YW has taken a lot of my time. Sometimes people don't realize how much time on a daily basis you can put into a calling! Good luck and you will be great!
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