With so many leaving the body of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints…
Because of unresolved questions or insufficient answers…
Or because they lack the understanding of the purpose of the church…
Or because they feel the laws of God are too hard or too much…
Or they don’t feel like they belong…
Or… or… or…
One question has stood out to me…
“ARE YOU WILLING TO ENGAGE IN THE WRESTLE?” (Sheri Dew, May 2016)
As President Nelson says, are you willing to “do the spiritual work necessary” to gain your own testimony of Jesus Christ and the power that comes from living the gospel principles.
EVERYONE is invited to the glorious feast of the Lord!
The question is, will we accept the invitation?
Accepting the invitation may seem like a wrestle, because of all the questions we have…
But I testify, it is worth the wrestle and the spiritual work necessary!
I testify, that living the gospel of Jesus Christ IS the most joyful way to live.
Living the gospel of Jesus Christ makes life easier, even when life isn’t easy (because we certainly don’t live in easy times).
This month I want to talk about what the “wrestle” for a testimony might look like and hopefully answer some concerns you might have.
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What is the spiritual work that is necessary?
What does that look like?
Does it just mean, read your scriptures daily, pray daily, have faith, repent now and again, etc.
This seems very casual…
And in fact, casual work will get you mediocre results (studies show this to be true in any field of study).
Instead ENGAGE!
I love this word!
It means to BEGIN, to OCCUPY your attention or your efforts, and to cause one to become INTERESTED and INVOLVED.
BEGIN!
Do you ever have conversations in your head, but never really talk to anyone.
I call this circular thinking because if often means rehashing conversations but never resolving them.
Instead BEGIN having these conversations with the Lord. INTEND, to tell Him what you are thinking and purposefully ASK for His input. Listen to and trust His counsel.
Let having a conversation with God, OCCUPY your thoughts.
Allow words or phrases to OCCUPY your attention. Ask more questions around them, like “what if?’ and “what about?” and “could this be true?”
Becoming INTERESTED and INVOLVED in seeking for answers looks like:
Get excited about the topic and eager to spend the time looking.
Become curious! Curiosity is powerful and fun, and you can choose it anytime you’d like!
Being ENGAGED takes time, effort, and patience.
People who are willing to do the “spiritual work necessary,” MAKE time, PUT IN an effort, and are PATIENT as the process works in them.
They ENGAGE! Sometimes at 100%, sometimes at 50%… any engagement is better than no engagement!
