Presiding in the Priesthood

Like most Latter-Day Saints I spent this last weekend listening to selected speaking from the presiding officers and general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As has become one of my own personal traditions I took notes and tweeted those ideas and quotes that I considered the most important and generally applicable. One of those statements in particular seemed to strike a chord.

"I am your husband and I hold the priesthood" is always the wrong answer.

 This is clearly something that people feel passionately about. It was rewteeted 14 times by people I don't even know, it was favorited several times and one lady went so far as to tell this specifically is the reason that her ex-husband is her ex-husband. It pains me that this could be an issue in the church and that anyone could so completely misunderstand the doctrine of the priesthood.

Jesus is supposed to be our leader and exemplar so maybe we should listen to what He has to say, "...he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." The priesthood may be the power of God, but only to ask in His name by his will. God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. If we truly represent God then our work should be blessing His children as well. God has all power, but He uses all of that power to lift others and bless others and that is the reason that He shared His power, so that those who bare His priesthood can do the same. Failure to do that is to fail in your priesthood responsibility. To try and claim authority to do other then that is to make a mockery of God and His power.