What a sacrifice!

What would you do if someone asked you to stop everything you were doing and come work for them in a job you never wanted in your life? You'd have to leave your house, your current job, and any future career goals, and never look back. Not only that, but you have to work for them until the day that you died.

Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints do just that. And all I can think is, what a sacrifice!

Apostle L. Tom Perry died this past Saturday at the ripe old age of 92, and though I am happy for him to be able to leave the frailties of this life for the next, for me, I am sad. I'm sad because in recent years he had become my favorite of the twelve apostles. It happened when I went to a broadcast where he was the apostles sent to speak. I instantly fell in love with this tall, cheerful man who explained to us that he didn't actually enjoy speaking in front of people, or instructing people, so being an apostles (where that is basically all you do) wasn't exactly his choice line of work . Still, he did it. And he did it for forty years.

Much like the apostles of old -- James and John -- who left their nets when the savior called them to His work, the apostles and prophets of the church today leave whatever it is they are doing to serve the Savior and His church when they are called. There is no campaigning, no one is seeking for these callings. They are businessmen, Doctors, lawyers, car salesmen. They have families, jobs, goals. They have lives. Yet, when they are called, they leave it all behind to serve. And they do it willingly.

I've always known this to be true, but it hasn't truly sunken in what a sacrifice this is until the last few years. As I've aged, I have become more goal oriented, I have aspirations, talents, things I am working on and hope to accomplish in my life. I think it'd be fun to live the snow bird life eventually, and own one home here in Florida and another somewhere cooler for the Summer months. These men might have had similar thoughts, but once they were called as apostles, that all changed. It is a real job. They are given assignments and they do them. They spend their time traveling to different parts of the world to uplift, edify and direct the Saints. They don't get months off. They don't get to chose where they go. There time is not their own, their lives, in a sense, are not their own.

Christ once said, in Matthew 16:24 "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." 25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." 

The prophet and apostle of the church today are this scripture brought to life.

Not everyone will be asked to give up as much as the apostles such as Elder. L Tom Perry, who gave forty years of his life doing a job he wasn't exactly interested in doing. But the blessings that come from their service is undeniable, and to give up all to follow Christ has the ultimate reward in this life (peace and joy) and in the next life (eternal life in the world to come). I know these things to be true. I wish I followed my knowledge more perfectly. But it is true, I can testify, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. :)