Totems and Callings

I was watching Brother Bear recently, and if you haven't seen that movie, stop reading this, go watch it, and then come back because there is going to be some spoiler alerts here. Or you can read my following synopsis! :)

Anyway, this movie is about a young Native American(?) man living somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere back when mammoths still roamed the earth. In his tribe, the shaman gives every person a totem of a certain animal and a certain attribute that they are supposed to allow to guide their lives. It's like a coming-of-age kind of thing. They seemingly receive their totems in their teenage years, where guidance is probably most needed. And once they've proved to be living true to their totem, they are esteemed as an adult, and can put their handprint up on their ceremonial cave wall where all their ancestors have. Getting your handprint there is seemingly a huge rite of passage in his tribe. Kenai is given the totem of the bear of love. And he's not happy about it. He doesn't understand why he got love, he wanted something like bravery or strength. And he even jokes about trading his totem. 

Kenai seems to be in his teenage years. He doesn't take too much responsibility for his actions, and believes he can take on the world, and bears, on his own. Overall, he just seems a little "too big for his britches." 

But back to the bears! As a result of Kenai's lack of responsibility, a bear steals his brothers' fish, and Kenai decides to retaliate. This confrontation between he and the bear leads to the death of his eldest brother, Sitka. Again, he tries to retaliate, and ends up killing the bear. He then experiences a magical transformation, and becomes a bear himself. The shaman recognizes him and tells him that he needs to right his wrong if he wants to be a human again. 

Shortly after, he meets a bear cub named Koda. Koda is trying to get to the salmon run, a place where all the bears meet up and have what is essentially a family reunion. Koda asks Kenai to take him there since it's on way to where the shaman told Kenai he needs to get to. So, most of the story is that of their journey. All the while, Kenai's other older brother, Denahi(sp?) is hunting him. Denahi thinks Kenai, in his bear form, killed Kenai as a human, so thinking that he lost both of his brothers to bears, he goes mad with the idea of killing the bear that is actually Kenai.

When Koda and Kenai eventually reach the salmon run, all the bears take turns sharing their most exciting story of the past year. Koda is eager to share a story of his mom fighting some hunters, which triggers something in Kenai, and Kenai then realizes that the bear he killed was actually Koda's mom. Koda is quite understandably upset about this, and Kenai decided to give him some space. Kenai heads to the mountain the shaman told him to go to, and says what is essentially a prayer. He asks Sitka for some help. Right then, his other brother shows up and starts trying to kill him, and Koda shows up to try to help him. Right as Denahi stabs Kenai, he is transformed back into a human. Koda is frightened of him, at first, but then runs up and hugs him. Kenai, out of love for Koda, decides to return to his bear form, and he finally gets to put his pawprint on the wall. 

My thoughts: 

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you are sometimes given a "calling (i.e. a position or an assignment)." These callings vary from teaching the children, being a secretary, or being the bishop, who is in charge of watching over the whole congregation. While some callings are harder than others, they are equally important in the eyes of God. 

But  sometimes when we get a calling, we can feel the same way Kenai did about his totem. He didn't understand it, he didn't like it, and he'd rather do/have something else. As a convert, I feel like I am the least suitable person for any calling. A year in, and I still don't know a lot about the Church and its inner workings. I don't know anything about the Primary program, or the Young Women's program, or Duty of God. Luckily, I am still in YSA. But I'm a little scared for the day when I have to go to a family ward, because while most of it is the same, there are somethings I have no experience with yet. So, when it comes to the calling I have, I feel like there are better choices for this position than I am. 

But just as Kenai thought it was a mistake, and understood later why he got the totem that he did, we all eventually reach some sort of understanding about our callings. Kenai started off thinking about his totem in a selfish manner. He only though about himself, and didn't embrace his totem. But as he grew to love Koda, he realized that his totem wasn't about himself. It was about loving others, specifically Koda.
Similarly, sometimes our callings might not be about us, it might be about the people we're serving. On the other hand, while we may not be the best person for the calling we've been given, it might be the best calling for us at that point in our lives. Some callings help us grow, and some callings help us to help others grow. I think it's important to embrace the callings we've been given, especially if we're scared of them.  We should not look at them as if we're not worthy to do them, or as if they are beneath us. But we should magnify our callings, and and ask ourselves not only "how can I better help those I'm serving to grow" but also ask ourselves, "how can I grow from this?"
:)