Power of the Priesthood

Ben turned 12, and as tradition in our church, he was interviewed and found worthy to be ordained to the office of Deacon in the Aaronic priesthood. I do not remember ever being at an ordination. I may have been there when Bryce was ordained, but I'm going to cite middle age memory loss on that one. Not knowing how it is supposed to go, I thought it was really special. We met in the deacon/teacher quorum at the end of their lesson. The bishop spoke for a few minutes about the importance of the priesthood and then Nate was able to ordain Ben. Grandpa, the bishopric, and his leaders (including our good friend Bob Bolster) assisted. Ben received a very special blessing and was required by the bishop to give me a hug. (Good thing because I was going to embarrass him with one anyway.) He immediately went back to being a 12 year old boy, but an experienced mom's eye could see a change.

As the week progressed, Ben was happier, quick to do chores and homework before playing, and he just seems to have a quiet confidence that wasn't present before. He's still a boy, though...he loves video games and still smarts off on occasion and conveniently forgets about homework.

It was interesting to me that my principal shared that he recently became a deacon in his church (at the age of 52). His responsibilities include greeting people as they arrive. It seems to be a much different process than ours and I don't know the details, but the juxtaposition was interesting to note this week.

This Sunday morning, Ben exercised his priesthood duties for the first time and passed the sacrament. He remembered Grandpa Jones' council and passed the trays with his right hand. He did a great job and you could not tell it was his first time. He even looked like an expert at helping our blind sister with the sacrament. I cannot express the feeling of joy and humbleness that I felt as my son, entrusted to me by Heavenly Father, undertook this duty.

The power of the priesthood is real. I know. I saw it this week.