RULE 44 is NOT FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

It isn’t that today was a surprise. It’s just that it was a disappointment. I knew all along that we were fighting an uphill battle. Although our blog policy (if families can also make policy) is that we don’t dwell on legislation, I think I can step outside of that because I believe it’s pretty much now internationally known where I stand/stood on Rule 44.

There was posturing as soon as we began presenting the rules. The attempt to make the bar higher to pass the rules was repeated by persons who wanted to defeat it. Today, after the Rules Committee gave its report not recommending any of the amendments offering yesterday, we tried to move to a vote. The bishop gave her ruling that we would vote on the report with just a majority vote. But again it was challenged and the vote to overturn the ruling of the bishop was supported by 5 votes. At that point, I knew it would not pass.

The organized opposition to Rule 44 was strong. There were groups that had organized and lobbied against it. Some of the facts that they used in their arguments were just wrong. The misinformation hurts and it is hard to refute (although I did get a chance to refute some of it, but it was really too little too late as arguments go). I have spent a year interpreting this rule to a variety of groups. But, I cannot match the concentrated effort to defeat it.

So, Rule 44 is not for such a time as this.

Early in this quadrennium I realized that while the task was overwhelming, I could only do what I could, where I could. And “for such a time as this” became part of my daily prayer – that my work would be of use for such a time as this. It helped keep things in perspective and made me realize that, while what I was doing was important, the Kingdom didn’t depend on any one thing I did. It was helpful for me.

But in reality I did want my time to be God’s time. I wanted to see us have these discussions. I wanted to see if we could change the way we did legislation. I wanted to SEE it. But today showed that, while good may come from this, it isn’t coming at GC2016.

But that doesn’t mean that other good things can’t come.

A message from one of my favorite bishops (who has prayed for me and the General Conference daily and told me so):

I hope you can let it go and be at peace about it. Didn’t Jesus say something about “letting one day’s evil be sufficient for the day?”

Many hugs from many people – in person and through cyber space. The hugs make me cry when the disappointment doesn’t.

There are other times. God’s time. Not my time.

As we ended our day in legislative committees, we had devotions together. We prayed these words:

“God, we are not you. Hallelujah! …..We pray that you will guide us to joyful obedience to Christ’s Gospel call on our lives.”

May I be ready when you use me. For such a time as this.

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