To Visit or Not to Visit...

So I have had the "pond question" posted for about a month now and I have yet to post an answer and change the question. So, hopefully you have had enough time to ponder this question because today is the day that I actually attempt to answer it myself. The question, "why is it so difficult to get visiting/home teaching done by the end of the month," was inspired by my aunt Julie. It is not the first time that this question has been posed to me however when she was talking about how difficult it was to teach the sisters in her ward how important visiting teaching was I sat guiltily in my chair and thought about how I have been less than perfect with this important calling. I remember thinking, "I bet that my Relief Society president is thinking the same thing about me." There are many people out there who love visiting teaching, who get it done by the 2nd day of the month and arrive with a thought, lesson, handout and treat. And there are others in this world that have good intentions but then allow themselves to get caught up in the thick of thin things, therefore allowing visiting teaching to fall by the wayside with promises to "do it next month." I am one of the latter and so I have asked myself, "why?" Why can I have my lesson planned for relief society every month without a problem, why can I get all my laundry done, why can I plan play dates for my 2-year-old, why can I plan trips to Utah, but for some reason struggle when it comes to a small visit with a friend once a month?
My first thought was it was because I have a companion that doesn't want to go. We started off great, we started off strong and then I started hearing from her less and less. We would plan appointments but she wouldn't show up. We would try and find a date that worked for both of us and there would be no appointments set up. I struggled with the fine line of "not doing it FOR her vs not getting it done." For a small minute I rationalized that that was my problem but then reality sank in and I realized that my rationalization was simply an excuse and a poor one at that. Visiting teaching is not about having a companion that likes to go or that will set up all the appointments it is about serving the Lord by serving the sisters.
So I continued to ask myself "why?" I then decided that it was difficult for me to get VT done because the few small minutes that I have with my family are cherished and the last thing that I wanted to do was leave again. It isn't very often that I get my husband and child both in the same house and awake at the same time. "I need to hold onto these moments and make the most of them," I told myself. I held onto that rationalization for about a millisecond when I realized that, once again, my thinking was all backwards. Visiting teaching can be done at any time during the day and once again, VT is not about me it is about serving the Lord by serving the sisters.
I continued to ponder and I decided that there is no good reason why it should be difficult. I have realized that what it boils down to is that my heart was not converted to the vision of Visiting Teaching. I have to stop and evaluate my motives. Visiting teaching is not about numbers, it is not about the "reporting phone call," it is not about crossing another thing off the list or adding another thing to it. What it really boils down to is Love. It is all about loving the Lord and wanting to help take care of His children. It is about forgetting yourself, your "to do list," your errands and loving you sisters. There will always be time to get the dishes done, to run to the store, to change the laundry but there wont always be time to make a friend, to love a sister, to help, support, and rejoice with those that you will come to love as you serve.
That is my journey, that is my new resolve, that is what I have learned about myself. VT is not "inconvenient" and when we look at it that way we are not truly fulfilling our calling. VT is an opportunity to love, to serve, to learn, to grow, to be obedient. So, I am making a promise to myself and all those that are reading, I will do my visiting teaching every month. I already love the sisters I get to visit so now it is time to really visit, how lucky am I!?