I Don't Take This Lightly
I don't usually discuss my religious beliefs on my blog, mostly because I just feel it isn't the place. Today that's going to change a little. I've recently had the chance to share my testimony with someone and couldn't do it. It was not my only opportunity to do so, we'll be hanging out again soon, but I feel like something might be lost since I couldn't just do it right there and then. In anticipation of our next meeting, I want to share with you some of my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know what I believe to be true...I've felt it in my heart. I could try to describe that feeling to you but it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself, everyone feels it differently. I believe that there is a God, our Father, and that his Son came here and died for us so that we could come home again. I believe in eternity and that some day we will all have our place in eternity and those that truly live righteous lives will be with our Heavenly Father and Mother and their Son (our brother) again. I believe we have Prophets on this earth today to lead and guide us in living those righteous lives and if we listen to their council we will be happy. I've experienced that. I've been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my entire life and I, like many people of many faiths, went through a period of rebellion where I did what I wanted to do despite what I knew to be true. I wanted more than anything to experience life the way that everyone around me was, I wanted to know what I was missing. What I found out was that I wasn't missing anything good. I experienced more loss and pain and trials than I had ever experienced before. In the last three years I have started to rebuild the foundation that began to wear away in my youth and I have a strong testimony of the gospel again, no not just a strong testimony a stronger one.
I do not recommend to anyone taking the detour I took to get where I am. I don't believe in regret so I wont tell you I regret the things I did, because I love who I have become as a result of the mistakes I made and the life I lead. The thing is, once you get off that straight and narrow path that the gospel gives you to walk along, it is so unbelievably hard to get back on that path. But it is not impossible, that's what the atonement is for... you can ask for forgiveness for any mistake you make, some are just harder to bounce back from. The problem is that once you have shown Satan your weaknesses they will always be there in front of you to tempt you and taunt you and it is incredibly hard not to go right back to what you were so used to doing before.
The biggest thing is that I believe what I have been taught these 25 years is true. The best way to tell is to fall to your knees and pray...Not some standardized prayer but truly ask God, talk to him as though he were your friend, because while he is an all powerful God he is there for US.
Whether you believe in the Bible or not this scripture is one of the most amazing scriptures about prayer.
James 1:5-6
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
If you really want to know if what you believe is true if you ever question it...get on your knees and open your heart and pour out your soul to God, he is there and will listen, I promise if you do this you will get an answer. I don't want anyone to think I am trying to shove my religion down their throat, that's not the purpose of this blog, I just wanted to share with you what I know in my heart to be truth and if you feel the same great and if you don't that's fine too, we're all entitled to our own beliefs we all have the agency to choose what we do and where we go and how we live our lives.
I know what I believe to be true...I've felt it in my heart. I could try to describe that feeling to you but it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself, everyone feels it differently. I believe that there is a God, our Father, and that his Son came here and died for us so that we could come home again. I believe in eternity and that some day we will all have our place in eternity and those that truly live righteous lives will be with our Heavenly Father and Mother and their Son (our brother) again. I believe we have Prophets on this earth today to lead and guide us in living those righteous lives and if we listen to their council we will be happy. I've experienced that. I've been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my entire life and I, like many people of many faiths, went through a period of rebellion where I did what I wanted to do despite what I knew to be true. I wanted more than anything to experience life the way that everyone around me was, I wanted to know what I was missing. What I found out was that I wasn't missing anything good. I experienced more loss and pain and trials than I had ever experienced before. In the last three years I have started to rebuild the foundation that began to wear away in my youth and I have a strong testimony of the gospel again, no not just a strong testimony a stronger one.
I do not recommend to anyone taking the detour I took to get where I am. I don't believe in regret so I wont tell you I regret the things I did, because I love who I have become as a result of the mistakes I made and the life I lead. The thing is, once you get off that straight and narrow path that the gospel gives you to walk along, it is so unbelievably hard to get back on that path. But it is not impossible, that's what the atonement is for... you can ask for forgiveness for any mistake you make, some are just harder to bounce back from. The problem is that once you have shown Satan your weaknesses they will always be there in front of you to tempt you and taunt you and it is incredibly hard not to go right back to what you were so used to doing before.
The biggest thing is that I believe what I have been taught these 25 years is true. The best way to tell is to fall to your knees and pray...Not some standardized prayer but truly ask God, talk to him as though he were your friend, because while he is an all powerful God he is there for US.
Whether you believe in the Bible or not this scripture is one of the most amazing scriptures about prayer.
James 1:5-6
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
If you really want to know if what you believe is true if you ever question it...get on your knees and open your heart and pour out your soul to God, he is there and will listen, I promise if you do this you will get an answer. I don't want anyone to think I am trying to shove my religion down their throat, that's not the purpose of this blog, I just wanted to share with you what I know in my heart to be truth and if you feel the same great and if you don't that's fine too, we're all entitled to our own beliefs we all have the agency to choose what we do and where we go and how we live our lives.
