There are many reasons a person may struggle with a church calling. We may feel inadequate, overwhelmed, or that our time and talents would be better utilized elsewhere. Whatever the reason, you are not alone.
Fortunately, Church leaders have often addressed this issue. Here are 10 quotes from Church leaders that offer comfort and counsel for when you don't like your church calling.
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"There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed. One of the ways you will be attacked is with the feeling that you are inadequate. Well, you are inadequate to answer a call to represent God with only your own powers. But you have access to more than your natural capacities, and you do not work alone." —President Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to Your Call," October 2002 general conference
"Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Let’s simplify. The message of a good lesson comes through spiritual preparation. Let’s put our focus on the principles of the gospel and on the material in our study guides. Let’s prepare to create an interesting exchange of ideas through discussion, not through extra, invented work that makes us so weary we come to resent the time we spend in fulfilling our callings." —Sister Kathleen H. Hughes, "Out of Small Things," October 2004 general conference
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"You are called of God. The Lord knows you. He knows whom He would have serve in every position in His Church. He chose you. He has prepared a way so that He could issue your call. . . . The person who called you did not issue the call simply because he learned by interviewing you that you were worthy and willing to serve. He prayed to know the Lord’s will for you. It was prayer and revelation to those authorized of the Lord which brought you here. Your call is an example of a source of power unique to the Lord’s Church." —President Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to Your Call," October 2002 general conference
"You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father’s spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned and in moments when you might be doing something not apparently connected to your call. Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith." —President Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to Your Call," October 2002 general conference
"You may feel that there are others who are more capable or more experienced who could fulfill your callings and assignments better than you can, but the Lord gave you your responsibilities for a reason. There may be people and hearts only you can reach and touch. Perhaps no one else could do it in quite the same way." —Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Lift Where You Stand," October 2008 general conference
"To each of us the Lord has said, 'Magnify your calling.' It is not always easy. But it is always rewarding." —President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Magnify Your Calling," April 1989 general conference
"It is very dangerous for any of us to think we have earned the right to a Church calling. . . . We must each prepare ourselves for every good work that might come to us and then accept the principle that revelation, not aspiration, is the basis for our respective callings." —President Russell M. Nelson, "A Holy Calling," April 1997 general conference
"No calling is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow. The Lord organized the Church in a way that offers each member an opportunity for service, which, in turn, leads to personal spiritual growth. Whatever your calling, I urge you to see it as an opportunity not only to strengthen and bless others but also to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become." —Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Lift Where You Stand," October 2008 general conference
"We each have our failings, our weaknesses, our less-than-perfect attitudes. The Lord asks us to open ourselves to Him, holding nothing back. He says to us, seek not 'thine own life'; seek 'my will, and to keep my commandments' (Hel. 10:4). The newness of heart comes when we do and give all we can, then offer our heart and will to the Father. As we do this, our Father promises us that our lives now and in eternity will be abundant." —Sister Kathleen H. Hughes, "Out of Small Things," October 2004 general conference
"Your call has eternal consequences for others and for you. In the world to come, thousands may call your name blessed, even more than the people you serve here. They will be the ancestors and the descendants of those who chose eternal life because of something you said or did, or even what you were. If someone rejects the Savior’s invitation because you did not do all you could have done, their sorrow will be yours. You see, there are no small callings to represent the Lord. Your call carries grave responsibility." —President Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to Your Call," October 2002 general conference
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