Talk on Faith:
In Alma 32:21 it states,
21 And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.
Alma's definition on Faith is perfect. Faith is truly to hope for things which we cannot see, but what we know are true! I've had this particular question a lot throughout my life, "Do I have enough Faith?" I am sure many of you have had the same question. Sometimes it may seem like we do not have enough Faith to press forward in the Gospel, but every time I have felt this way there has been one thing that has helped, and that is doing the little things, daily prayer, daily scripture study, and attending church meetings. We have to act in order to gain a stronger testimony, and gain more Faith each and every day.
In my favorite Mormon Message, The Hope of God's Light, it says something concerning Faith and gaining a Testimony of Jesus Christ. It states, "Spiritual Light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness, waiting for someone to flip a switch, it takes an act of Faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ." Faith is acting. If we want to gain a stronger Faith and Testimony in the Gospel, we need to act upon the key principles of the Gospel. Like I said before, daily scripture study, prayer, and attending church are so important in gaining a stronger Faith in Christ. These three things are also included in the simple primary concepts that primary children learn every week. Prayer, reading the scriptures, going to church, and being obedient, provide that structure that we need to press-forward in Faith. I think one of the reasons why Primary Children have such strong testimonies is because they are willing to act and do these things. Their undoubting Faith is such an example to me, and I strive to be like them every day. I know that we can all be like these Primary Children if we do act on the key concepts of the Gospel each and every day.
I thought my Faith was pretty strong, and that I understood what Faith was, but I learned that I didn't know as much as I needed to. When I left on my mission on August 3rd this past year to enter the MTC, I thought that it was going to be the last time I saw my family for 2 years. I would have never guessed what happened to me next. Just before the end of my first transfer, I was rushed into emergency surgery in Casper Wyoming, and the next day I was on my way home. The next two months were the hardest months of my whole life, but my burdens were made light through Faith in my Heavenly Father and in His son Jesus Christ. At first I was wondering why Heavenly Father had made me go through this, why if I had chosen to serve Him and the people of Colorado for two years he had made me come home and experience these things. My family helped answer these questions for me. Every time I would doubt in my ability to overcome my medical issues, my mom and my dad would always have a positive attitude. My Dad, never once doubted that I would be healed, but he did this through trusting in God's Will. He helped me understand what true Faith was. My doctor shared with me Elder Bednar's talk, "That We Might Not Shrink". In this talk, Elder Bednar shares a story of a young couple who the husband, just three weeks after their temple marriage, was diagnosed with bone cancer. Elder Bednar said a statement to him that truly blessed me and helped me understand true Faith and helped me get through my trials. He stated, "I then posed questions I had not planned to ask and had never previously considered: “[John,] do you have the faith not to be healed? If it is the will of our Heavenly Father that you are transferred by death in your youth to the spirit world to continue your ministry, do you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?” I gained the Faith to be healed, and the Faith not to be healed during my medical trials. My Dad helped me understand this concept, that if we have Faith in whatever God has planned for us, or having Faith and trusting in His Will, we can overcome any trial or tribulation that is placed before us. This is true Faith. I know that because I understood this, I was healed and I was blessed for my efforts.
In President Uchtdorf's talk, Fourth Floor, Last Door, given in this last General Conference, he states, "Faith is a strong conviction about something we believe--a conviction so strong that it moves us to do things that we otherwise might not do. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”"
Like in Alma, this teaches us that the essence of Faith is believing in those things we cannot see. Through my medical trials, I believed that God would provide a way for me to get better, but I also believed that if it was His Will, that I would not be healed and I wouldn't be able to return to my mission. I know that it was God's Will for me to come back to my mission, and that I will serve Him for my full 2 years. Some may ask how we can believe in something or someone who we cannot see? This is a very valid question, but those who ask these things are missing something. President Uchtdorf continues, "What they fail to understand is that there are more ways to see than with our eyes, more ways to feel than with our hands, more ways to hear than with our ears." Isn't this so true! People who question our Faith in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ cannot see the Big Picture. President Uchtdorf says, "Perhaps better advice--for anyone who wants to increase faith--is to listen differently. The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek the voice that speaks to our spirit, not just to our ears. He taught, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” Or perhaps we should consider the words of Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince, who said: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”" We know that through the Holy Ghost we can feel the love of our Father in Heaven and our Savior. Feeling this is not with our hands, hearing this is not with our ears, and seeing this is not with our eyes, but it is with our hearts.
I know that if you all heed the words of President Uchtdorf, and listen differently than those of the world, then you will have exceedingly great Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we strive to truly studying our scriptures and saying prayers daily or doing the little things to make our testimonies stronger, then Heavenly Father will bless us through our efforts. If we trust in Heavenly Fathers Will for each and every one of us, I know that we will be comforted through any and every trial we got through.
Testimony
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