Testimony

Testimony

As I have grown older, my priorities have changed a little bit. Time is something I value more than I used to. I don't so much care what we're doing, I just want to spend time with people. To sit down and talk, or genuinely listen, or play silly games and laugh, or go enjoy nature. I simply want to give my time to people as freely as I wish. So that they know that I want to be around them not for what we're doing or where we're going, but because I love and care for them as a person.

Testimony is another "value" I have come to appreciate. I say value as in the importance, worth or usefulness of something. To gain a testimony of something or someone does not require anything tangible. It is not something one can purchase, borrow, or obtain in an instant. Testimony requires patience, constant prayer, persistence, and action. It does not come easily. It is a process of questioning, seeking, discovery, and action.

As Pilate once asked in John 18:38, "What is truth?", and I add, what are you willing to sacrifice to find the truth for yourself? Every man and woman has the responsibility to discover truth for themself. 

Then how do I find truth?

"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." James 1:5

“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

“At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ‘ask of God,’ concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.”

(JSH 1:7-13)

Everything that I am is because a of young boy seeking the truth and a single verse, James 1:5. Joseph Smith needed to know the truth. He pondered and prayed while patiently waiting for an answer. He humbly approached the Lord to be free of a "state of darkness and confusion". Because of his fervent prayer, I too have discovered the truth.

I have a testimony of my Heavenly Father. He is a God of love and light and does hear the prayers of all His children. He is constantly trying to show His love for us. Through powerful words of the prophets, loving friends or family, principles and doctrine from the scriptures, or promptings from the Holy Ghost, we can receive personal revelation. I am grateful to be a member of the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It brings purpose and happiness to my life. I strive to use my time purposefully and act on prompting I receive from the Holy Ghost. It is a blessing to have truth and light in my life.

For those of you who do not yet have a testimony or have not discovered the truth for yourself, humbly approach the Lord. Do as James 1:5 directs and ask of God. He will hear and answer your prayer. No matter how long it may take, he will  provide an answer.