On the first call.
- Shelbey Townsend
- Feb 11, 2024
- 4 min read
Moving to Parowan helped answer my parents’ prayers to raise well-rounded kids. The jury's still out, but we did our best.
In Parowan, knowing everyone was a beautiful form of accountability for me. Living a block away from Wayne and Val made for the needed reminder, at least weekly, of the eternal importance of family. Attending a high school with only a few hundred kids meant Greg’s second oldest could have a shot at actually making a team. Right bench was my favorite position.
But my dad’s favorite part of moving to Parowan included the morning chores a new property in a small town provided.
As far as alarms go, my Dad’s voice still proves to be the most effective one I’d ever had, particularly on Saturday mornings.
“Get up! Time for chores!”
Nate handled the lawn. But there was a garden that had a hard time yielding more than weeds and pumpkins. More fruit trees dotted the property than I cared for. To this day all peaches smell rotten because of how many we scraped up off the lawn over the years. Bottle-feeding dogie lambs was a favorite job of mine. Our farm fresh chicken egg business had a horrible return on investment.
I learned quickly that if we woke up on the first call and got to work, things were well.
But on occasion, I’d make the mistake of dozing back to sleep after Greg yelled up the stairs.
I didn’t make that mistake too many times.
And the older I got and the more chores I took part in, the more I never wanted to make that mistake again.
Faith and humility are the same in my book.
I can’t believe in God and act like it without knowing how great He is and how badly I need Him. I can’t reflect God’s light if I don’t believe there is a God with light to shine.
In Alma’s great sermon on faith, he delivers this about humility:
14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?
15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty.
16 Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.
Circumstances of poverty promoted humility for many. But those who humbled themselves through simply believing God’s word?
They probably only needed one wake-up call for chores on Saturday morning.
I was deeply moved when a friend shared this painting with me.
He brought attention to the lack of visible nails in Christ’s hands.
One thoughtful viewer shares, “Dali’s… vision creates a work of beauty, a crucified Christ, mindful of the wounds, but without bloody sores. Here, the nails are not prominent, and Christ does not wear a crown of thorns. His countenance is hidden, facing down toward the world, his arched arms forming a triangle with the weight of the body. The musculature of his back and shoulders is highlighted, creating a sense of strength and sovereignty. Thus, Dali painted this Christ without physical damage. This practical strategy expresses a spiritual message: the visible wounds of Christ are details among others of the story; but the beauty of his love, in his suffering and death, and his divinity are the most important features of his sacrifice…
“Dali's painting conceals the external wounds, giving the opportunity to reflect on the wounds of his heart caused by the sins of the world—the internal wounds of love caused by his thirst for souls.”
My friend offered his consideration:
Perhaps the nails are absent there to teach that Christ was not forced to hang there for us. It was not the nails that kept Him there. He would have suffered there without them holding Him down.
He obeyed His Father and saved our souls, and He did so willingly.
And He didn’t need to be called more than once.
We have been asked to prepare for and enter the temple worthily.
We have been asked to understand, make, and keep covenants with God.
We have been asked to live increasingly pure lives.
We have been asked to gain a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the very book he translated by God’s power - even Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
We have been asked to think Celestial and to let God prevail.
We have been asked to speak, think, act, and walk differently because of our interactions with the Living Son of the Living God.
We have been asked to trust Him.
Though the Spirit softly and consistently counters our rebuttals and rationalizations with great love and patience, let us remember - that once we entered into covenant at baptism to follow the Savior, we left neutral ground forever.
And yet, how many times must we be called?
Saturday mornings at 70 North 200 West are now sacred places of memory for me.
I hope I did Greg and Jamie proud.
Far more than just becoming a well-rounded kid from the Mothertown, I hope that, truly more than anything, my countenance is starting to look like His.
The Living Son of the Living God was called but never compelled to save me.
Because the Spirit has borne witness of that humbling truth to me, my most fervent prayer is that I’ll wake up on the first call.