SINGLED OUT IN SUNDAY SCHOOL
The scene I am about to bless you with is awkward with a capital “A”. Honestly, I am surprised that I made it through that complete hour of embarrassment (I know that I wouldn’t have made it without the angel sister sitting beside me, who has for sure earned her wings by supporting me that dreadful day). However, going through this horrendous ordeal gave me a great opportunity to reflect on how much the Lord truly has blessed me, and perfectly prepares me for moments like this. (With my dating track record, I can almost guarantee many more moments like this are just heading down the tracks). So, sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy the show: Ellie: Singled Out In Sunday School
It was a wonderfully warm Sunday morning in the middle of March. As I headed into church, my brain was racing a million miles a minute with the mundane stresses of my ordinary life. (If stress was a sport, I would medal all day, every day). I was so grateful when the opportunity approached for me to babysit some sweet children during the meeting. It truly was a sincere tender mercy of the Lord, because it allowed me to focus on something else besides my stresses. After having my butt kicked at hangman for an hour, I had a feeling that this Sunday was going to go pretty well. Despite the fact that I had to teach the Young Women a lesson during the last hour of the meetings (I will never understand how I have been determined as “qualified” for that position), things had been going great so far, and I had high hopes for the remaining hours. Looking back now, I see I was being given a sweet break before some serious embarrassment set in.
As Sunday School began, I was feeling pretty good. I had actually done my duty as a class member and read some of the lesson (I know, just give me the blue ribbon now), and felt semi confident in my understanding of the lesson. However, the teacher took the lesson in a direction that I was not expecting. One of the first questions that came out of his mouth was “What is dating like in this area?”. As a twenty-two year old member of the church, who happens to reside in this area, I can tell you that dating is reeeeaaaallll hard. In my small town, I am the only member of the church in my age range (who is not married) so my dating life is non-existent. However, I have come to terms with my situation, and am perfectly fine waiting on the Lord. I pray often about whether moving to an area with more members of the church my age is a good idea, and always receive the comforting answer that right now is not the right time. Despite the fact that I am in a good place with my dating situation, others (especially my family members) are not.
After the teacher dropped that bomb of a question, a sweet sister came to my aid, stating how truly difficult it is dating in this area. “Phew, someone else answered the question” I thought, “Dodged a bullet”. (I am here to tell you that the bullet was in fact not dodged) Somehow, the lesson turned into how we (I) should be open to dating those we consider close friends, because you never know what great relationships can come from that. Now, I agree, there are many times when friends begin dating, and it turns into some of the strongest, sweetest relationships known to man. However, my close guy friends in the ward (who have all moved away, by the way) and I have talked many, many, many, many times about how not into that situation we are. As I sat through the hour that ensued (and took it like a champ, might I add. I didn’t even cry, once) and listened to the many comments about how important marriage is, I could feel twenty-five pairs of eyes, boring deep into my soul. I was incredibly grateful when the hour was up, and I was free to go and teach my class (yeah, that is how torturous that hour was).
As I went to teach my sweet Young Women about having faith in Jesus Christ, I realized how much this lesson related to the hour of pain I had just survived (P.S. I was able to work the terrible experience into my lesson. Who’s got the skills, to pay the bills?). I needed to exercise my faith in Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father. I had prayed about the situation I was in many times, and always received the comforting answer that as of right now, I am in the right place. I’ll admit, sitting in that room, having flash backs of my grandparents trying to set me up with the random kid in their ward, it was really tough to not care what people thought. “How many people think I should just move to Utah, so I can catch a man already?” “They are all probably tallying up the people they can set me up with” “Maybe I should just make up a fake boyfriend already” “Did my dad put the sweet teacher up to this lesson?”. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone in that room was running over my relationship status in their mind as much as I believe they did. Even if they did, I am positive it would be coming from a place of love, just as all of their comments were throughout the entire lesson. They have seen the blessings of marriage and family in their lives, and they want me to have that as well.
I totally want a family of my own someday, but I am also aware that this is not the right time for me. I have to have faith in the answers I have received, and learn not to care so much what others might be thinking. In the world we live in, it can be so easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others, and caring what others think. However, the only thing that matters is what the Lord thinks of us, and what we think of ourselves. As long as those two things are in line, we are good to go. I am so grateful for my sweet Sunday School class, who cares about me enough to worry about my future. I am so grateful for a church that teaches the importance of family, because I have seen the countless blessing mine has gifted me, and am looking forward to my future family. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior, who give me strength to endure the tough times, gift me with sweet answers to prayer, and give me opportunities to trust them even more. How can I not trust them? They got me through BYU, coming home early from my mission, and many a conversation about my future children. Their track record is a perfect 10, and I know it will continue to be so.
Am I thankful for that Sunday School lesson? Kind of. But I for sure don’t want it to happen again.