Being the forgiving/forgetful type, it didn’t take long for me to let go of the trauma of my winter adventure. That lasted until I went to the official summer girls’ camp later that year and talked to the other leaders. Someone mentioned how they didn’t go on the winter time camp training and how they thought it was silly, anyway. What would camping in the winter do to prepare you for tornados, mosquitoes and heat rash in the summer? I protested, “But it was MANDATORY training! You had to go or you wouldn’t be allowed to attend the summer session!” One woman (who later became my dearest friend and Life Mentor because of her reply) scoffed, “Yeah. Like what are they gonna do, fire me? We are v-o-l-u-n-t-e-r-s. They are just grateful I agreed to do this at all.”This mentality will forever be our downfall. Either do a good job or don't do the job (and don't accept the calling). Your selective decision to do some things and not do others shows that your heart, might, mind and strength is not truly doing what the Lord asks of us. Doing a half-job will get us no reward.
Being a volunteer doesn't remove our obligation to do the best we can even if we can't be fired.
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Real volunteers stepped up because they believe in what they agreed to do. There are several ways to respond to a calling, one is to accept it as a true volunteer, another is to see yourself conscripted into service. A conscript goes through the motions, keeps his nose clean and marks time until his conscription is over. A volunteer looks for ways to do a good job. The conscript sees work to be done, and finds a way to say, "not my job."
The Savior described these two attitudes when he discussed shepherds and hirelings:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." (John 10:11-15, NKJV)
Harsh? Maybe, and I'm sure each called individual cares for their charges; however, do we all care enough to give it our best effort?
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