Since coming home from my mission, I've stopped being surprised when someone told me they have stopped going to church, or they've lost their faith, or that they aren't sure what is true anymore, or that they've decided The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn't true. I guess I just became a little bit cynical. This past winter break, though, I had more than one person tell me one of the before-mentioned scenarios, and this time, it stopped me dead in my tracks. For about a month now, I've had this question weighing on my mind. The question: Why?
Why are people, who were so converted - some of these people who gave up 18 months or 2 years of their lives to share the Gospel with strangers - and who helped strengthen my own testimony backing away from the church? I can't imagine any question or circumstance causing me to turn away from the witnesses that I have received from the Spirit about the veracity of doctrine of the church.
I've had the idea for this blog post rolling around in my head for a little while now, but in Relief Society today, as we were discussing the Book of Mormon, I could not stop thinking about it. So, I'm writing it, hoping that it fortifies someone's testimony and just makes someone think.
I had an experience on my mission that was very pivotal not only for the rest of my mission, but for the rest of my life. My companion and I were knocking doors and ran into someone who spent his time trying to convince us that Joseph Smith was a false prophet. He said he knew of some specific things that he had even talked to leaders in the Church about, but no one was able to answer his questions. In that moment in speaking with him, I realized I had a choice: I could choose to wonder if the things this man was saying were true and have it fester in my mind, or I could choose to remember. I chose to remember. My response to this man was to pull out the Book of Mormon and tell him that the Spirit has told me multiple times that The Book of Mormon is true. Because of that, I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, because he was the one who translated the book, through the power of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. Everything else falls into place, if I rely on that belief.
For me, if I ever have a question about something or I'm unsure about something, I fall back on those experiences that I have with the Book of Mormon. And not just with the Book of Mormon! The experiences I have in the temple, at church while I'm partaking of the sacrament, when I'm listening to General Conference, or when I'm talking with a friend about the Gospel. I choose to remember instead of choosing to let doubts fester. As I choose to remember, I may not have answers to every single little question, but I receive answers.
I know this may seem over simplistic to some of you, but I think it's important to realize the power of remembering. The Book of Mormon repeats it, over and over, because how quickly do we forget?
My challenge to you is to remember those instances when the Spirit has born witness to you of something being true. Fall back on the moments when doubt begins to creep in. Now, remembering will not fix those questions that you have, but are you really willing to leave something that God, through the Holy Spirit, has told you is good and true, simply because someone says something offensive, or your feel conflicted with a certain policy, or someone brings something up that disagrees with your belief about the church? Obviously, all of these things happen. I do not look down on those who do forget or who do question or who do decide to seek somewhere else. But, my question for them is, are you remembering? People aren't perfect. They will do stupid things. They will say stupid things. That's WHY we need the Gospel, yo!
So, I guess the moral of story is...just remember. Don't let questions and doubts make you forget, whether or not you are in the church, have ever been a part of the church, or anything. Just remember.
Oh remember, remember that these things are true, for the Lord, thy God, hath spoken it. Mosiah 2:41
