I swear, Sundays are just as much work as any other day of the week. I think mostly it is so much work because I’m Mormon. In order to be qualified as active you have to attend meetings after meetings. For the average person there is the 3 hour block every Sunday. Sacrament, Gospel Doctrine, and then Relief Society/Priesthood. Then there are the yearly interviews that typically take place around your birthday. (I think this is to make sure they don’t miss anyone.) Then there is the end of the year tithing settlements, temple interviews. Church takes up a lot of time. Then you get a calling. Which you don’t mind doing, it will help you get to know others in the ward, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Wrong, that’s when they throw on a bunch more meetings that you are supposed to attend. Also being in a singles ward you are expected to attend FHE on Mondays. Then when you can’t go, people in the ward come and ask you where you were last Monday and why you didn’t attend FHE. They act like they genuinely care, but you know most people just want to boost their stats. They have that, “we don’t want you to become inactive” look in their eye. Then when I tell them that I work, and it doesn’t fit into my schedule they relax a little, let it sink in, then ask if there is anyway that I can change my schedule so I can get off earlier. Also, I can’t forget about Institute, every Tuesday and Wednesday. Well, I can’t attend that either. I promise I am not going inactive, but it just seems like sometimes it requires a lot to be what most consider an “Active Mormon”. Sometimes I just want to give up.
This month there have been 3 ward council meetings. There is another next week. I am hardly able to sit through 3 hours, but now my 3 hours is more like 4.5 hours. Oh, and making a ward directory sucks! Do you know how much time it takes every semester? My point is, Sunday is a lot of work, and some of it isn’t as painful as other parts. But it is work none then less and I don’t think it can be considered part of my weekend. You know the break you get after a long week. It is more like work to start to a long week. You do what you have to. :)
It's hard to be a student and have ANYTHING else going on in your life. a job, a calling, writing a full-time missionary, being in a family, etc. but the older i get (and the busier and more responsiblities i have), the more i enjoy my sundays. they may not be as relaxing as i'd like them to be sometimes- and maybe there is "a lot of work", but it's a different kind of work, a break from the ordinary. something i really look forward to now.
ReplyDeletehang in there, amber. you have a lot on your plate right now. life won't always be this busy and hard (it might get busier and harder!). :)
Just do what you can. Don't worry what others think or how your attendance/participation looks. The only thing that matters is that you do what you can. It's between you and the Lord. No one else matters.
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