Things I didn’t say at the memorial…

Let me preface my thoughts by telling you how wonderful it was to see you all again at the memorial. I treasure the opportunity to once again embrace you and see your faces. You are the family of my childhood and I cherish the memories. Thank you for sharing your life with me. The older I get, the more I am reminded of the wisdom of making sure you keep people in your life who remember you when you were young.

I have heard it said that when you share your thoughts and memories of another person, it is really yourself you are describing, not the other person. I have found this to be true. People reveal their own capacity to experience another person when they attempt to describe that person. What they’ve told you is what they comprehended when they shared a few fleeting moments of that person’s total existence. It’s a way of saying “This is who you are to me!”

It’s also been said “a prophet is unknown in his own country” (Mark 6:4, paraphrased). Perhaps in a similar way, we tend to take for granted the people who are so close to us. We may not really come to value or appreciate the little things that express the person’s character and personality. We have so much history with them that they have simply become part of the story of our lives where we are the central figure. Like an intricate pattern on a tapestry, we may tend to look at the side where all the knots and frayed ends are displayed and not take the time to enjoy the magnificent pattern on the other side.

Had I been around Ruby my whole life, I might have been tempted to limit my awareness of her. Although Ruby was in my life over a period of about 20 years, it was generally only for a few days at a time. As I’ve grown and matured, I’ve had many opportunities to reflect on how my values and perceptions have been influenced by the things I learned from her. Not that she sat down to teach me, but what I learned from the things I observed when I was in her presence. 

Perhaps there was little in her life that the world would find noteworthy. She may not be acclaimed as having accomplished any earth-shattering deeds, but Ruby possessed a unique gift for deeply appreciating others and reflecting back the value she saw there. I am reminded of an article I read may years ago where the writer was reflecting on two famous people he had interviewed for magazine articles. He said “I interviewed Sir Lawrence Olivier and came away completely astounded by what a magnificent person he is.” Then he said, “I interviewed Maurice Chevalier and came away completely astounded by what a magnificent person I am.” Ruby had that same ability to make another feel as though he or she was a special person. She could see the person I was becoming, regardless of how mundane my life might seem to me.

My career has evolved over time and is currently in the field of organizational development of large companies, i.e., tracking the demographics of that system and how it all interacts. The current popular view invites us to think of large companies as complex systems where each individual contributes to the broader culture and health of that system. As part of that learning, students are required to look at our own family culture and understand how each person in it contributes to the learning and development of their own life and, ultimately, to the whole family system (culture).

As I began to more fully understand the influences that taught me and shaped me as a person, I realized that I developed largely because of the things I learned from Ruby. After my father (her stepfather) passed away, I never had a connection with her. Over the years, I increasingly felt a longing to find Ruby so I could share with her my awareness of how much she contributed to my life. I recognized I had been telling people for years about the marvelous role model she was for me and I wanted her to know — from my own words — about all the ways she enriched my life. I wanted her to know I truly understood and valued the seeds of wisdom she planted in my heart. I didn’t want her to depart this life without realizing that I “got it.”

I “got it” that I had been influenced by an amazing woman — one of the most precious gifts in my life! She possessed an incredible spirit! I “got it” that she was one of the most curious and teachable people I’d ever known. She had a passion for sharing each new discovery with anyone who was willing to listen. It makes me feel good about myself to know that I “got it”!

I am filled with gratitude that I was blessed to share a significant part of the five years that immediately preceded Ruby’s journey through the veil. For the last three years of her life, I called her on the phone nearly every day in the early morning hours. She didn’t spend a lot of time talking about the physical limitations she was experiencing, although I knew of what was happening to her emotionally and physically. I also understand what it was doing to her spiritually. She never wavered in her unshakable faith in her God and gratitude for the gift of His Son. She was in the company of angels every day.

I spoke with her about her personal struggle with being so vulnerable — a word that did not flow easily from her lips. Although she was acutely aware of this increasing physical vulnerability, she didn’t feel sorry for herself. She was too busy feeling love and gratitude for all that surrounded her. She had joy in her heart and laughter on her lips. She literally could find humor in any situation around her. Mostly she could laugh at herself and often reflected that “what didn’t kill you would make you stronger.” We often joked about how she had already “died” once so she was experienced at how to die. She believed she was given a few extra years to finish up something. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew it was really important.

There are two quotes from Neal A. Maxwell’s message “Enduring Well” that she beautifully demonstrated to me: “Drink from the bitter cup without becoming bitter” and “Rather than simply going through the trial, allow the trial to go through you” (quotes paraphrased).

The morning of the day she passed away, the last conversation I had with her on the phone was about love, hope, and faith. She expressed encouragement for the things that were happening in my life, telling me how lucky my grandchildren were to have a grammy like me. 

Although she didn’t speak of dying, I knew she was ready. She had made her peace with God and she longed to embrace her beloved Jesus. Even though I couldn’t be there at the sacred portal of her passing, I know she was attended by happy, loving, and compassionate angels. She had fulfilled the measure of her creation and was eager to begin the next phase of her eternal journey. I can almost hear the excited voices cascading through the heavens as she broke through the veil: “Ruby Colleen is coming home!”

She departed this world not fully aware of how she would be remembered by her family. She realized she was a woman born before her time; truly an “explorer of this dispensation.” She started her own personal “women’s liberation movement” years before society ever guessed it needed one.

To read more of Sonja’s articles, click here.

Yesterday at Ruby’s memorial, I spoke of the importance of telling your loved ones about the precious gift they are in your life. Yet there were many things that went unsaid, at least in my heart. When I shared with you that “I am a celebration of Ruby’s life,” I only scratched the surface of the gift she is to me.

This morning upon waking, my mind is flooded with the words that still long to be expressed to you. At the memorial service, I failed to tell you all that I experienced Ruby to be. Let me correct that omission now by sharing with you in this letter what I shared with Ruby during these last few years… Her “memorial.”

Sonja Hopkins

Sonja lives with her husband, Dale, on Anderson Island, Washington. She and her husband are Church Service Missionaries serving in the Addiction Recovery Program, focusing on pornography and sex addiction. She is also a certified life coach and teaches “Life Skills for Emotional Self-Mastery” in her stake twice a month. She does not teach you only to process something traumatic done to you in the past; rather, she helps you learn to feel it, heal it, and LET GO of whatever you still do to yourself and to others in order to cope with what was done to you in the past.

Testimonies can be as fragile as handblown glass. We are excited as the Holy Ghost bears witness of truth, and our testimony begins to grow. We read the scriptures, pray, attend church, and accept callings and assignments. Our testimony strengthens. With our human frailties, we get distracted and don’t read the scriptures. A tiny stress fracture appears in our testimony unseen by the naked eye. We forget to pray, and another stress fracture is produced. We become complacent in living the commandments, producing yet another tiny fracture. Satan is then able to intervene with a simple distraction to shatter our gorgeous piece of handblown glass. Sometimes he uses worldly distractions, such as money or power. Other times, he uses our need for the approval of our peers. He sometimes distracts us with unpleasant things in church history, or the failings of men. He knows our weak spots and uses them to his advantage. Those tiny stress fractures cause our testimonies to shatter.

When handblown glass shatters and hits the floor, the glassblower picks up the tools and begins again. There is no hesitation, as glassblowers are committed to their craft. They don’t give up on a beautiful creation because their first, second, even tenth attempt is swept from the floor. They simply begin anew—with fresh determination to stay focused so they can complete the piece.

Repentance gives us the chance to sweep the shattered glass from the floor and begin anew. Christ’s Atonement has already paid for all that shattered glass. He has given us the tools to create the most gorgeous piece of art we can imagine. He never takes away those tools. No matter how many times we shatter our own testimonies, we have the tools to start from scratch and begin again.

Unlike glass that always remains fragile even after it is a complete, beautiful piece, testimonies can be built strong enough to thwart breakage. As we stay on the covenant path, read scriptures daily, pray, attend church, and live the commandments, our testimonies continue to get stronger. As long as we continue to do these things, Satan has a hard time distracting us, and our testimonies become strong as iron. Even so, we must always be mindful and on guard—even iron melts at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,537.778 degrees Celcius). Tempered glass is four times stronger than regular glass because it is cooled slowly. Car windshields are made of tempered glass, but can be shattered easily with a baseball bat. It takes much more than a baseball bat to damage an iron beam. Constant and vigilant attention can make testimony as break-resistant as an iron beam.

“[L]ike a growing plant, [testimony] must be nurtured or it will wither. Frequent and heartfelt prayers of faith are crucial and needed nutrients. Obedience to the truth you have received will keep the testimony alive and strengthen it. Obedience to the commandments is part of the nourishment you must provide for your testimony. …

 

Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. There is danger in neglecting prayer. There is danger to our testimony in only casual study and reading of the scriptures. They are necessary nutrients for our testimony” (Henry B. Eyring, “A Living Testimony,” Apr. 2011 General Conference).

Just as a molten blob gathered on the end of the blowpipe needs air bubbles to inflate and expand the blob into the size desired, the faith seed of testimony needs prayer, study, and work to transform it into hardened testimony and true conversion. The molten blob is then transferred to a steel or iron rod called a punty so it can be shaped and formed. Testimony is further shaped and formed as we take newfound knowledge and use it for good. As we serve others, we become more like Christ and testimony becomes conversion.

As a glassblower works with a molten blob, it begins to cool. In order to keep the glass hot enough to be pliable, he/she puts the blob into a second furnace called a “glory hole” which reheats the glass for further shaping and forming. Each time we open our scriptures, attend sacrament meeting, or kneel in prayer, we subject our testimony to the glory hole for reheating.

To read more of Tudie’s articles, click here.

Once a piece of glass art is complete, it is placed in a third furnace called an annealer, which allows the piece to cool slowly over hours or even days to avoid thermal stress from cracking or shattering the piece. Come, Follow Me, Family Home Evening, singing hymns, journal writing, family history work, and temple attendance place testimony in the annealer to keep it from cracking or shattering.

As I’ve learned more about handblown glass and the artists who create it, I’ve learned that testimony is a living, growing thing. It needs constant attention—nourishment, as President Eyring put it. It is heated, molded, reheated, remolded, completed, and slowly cooled over a lifetime. Testimony and true conversion require hard work in a hard environment. Just as the glassblower’s shop is hot and exhausting, life is equally hard and oppressing. If we endure it well, the art created is a beautiful testimony that sustains us until we are returned to our Heavenly Father.

Tudie Rose

Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.

I turned my phone on and checked my LinkedIn app and came across a beautiful post shared by my wonderful friend Lorena Acosta. Her post carried such a powerful message and marvelous accompanying video that I was stirred my heart to write this article rather than going back to bed.

In her post, Lorena stated the following:

“We want to assert our ‘rights’ to decide whether or not to let someone else live and now we realize that we cannot even decide for our [own] LIFE [on] a planet that decided that GOD does not exist without having sought it.”

It is that last phrase, “a planet that decided GOD does not exist without having sought it,” that stirred me and prompted me to write this article.

Many in this world have embraced the idea that God is either dead or that He doesn’t care about what is going on in our lives. They’ve projected the image of a deadbeat dad onto God and in doing so attempted to justify their reasoning for ignoring Him or turning away altogether. “He doesn’t care about me, so why should I care about Him?”

I cannot speak for others, only for myself.

I do not know the dead God so many in the world have accepted. I do not know the deadbeat God that far too many have projected and decidedly turned away from.

In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the God I know “is not dead nor doth He sleep.” The God I know is fully awake and fully aware of us. He is our loving Father and He wants us to be happy and prosper. He does everything He does with that objective in mind.

Why Does God Allow So Much Suffering?

If that is the case, many may question, “Where is God in the current coronavirus crisis? How could He allow this to happen? How could He allow so much suffering to occur?”

Because God loves us, He has given us the amazing ability to choose. He had to do so in order for us to grow and be happy. He had to do so that we might know the bitter in order to truly prize the sweet. Just as our muscles have to have the opposition of exercise in order to grow stronger, so too we must have the ability to choose, which allows us to face the opposition that stretches our souls so that we can grow stronger spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

With that ability to choose, we have the freedom to choose to do whatever we want. However, a key thing to remember is that while we have the ability to choose what we do, we do not have the ability to choose the consequences of our choices.

How then do we know what to choose so that we might have the best possible outcomes?

To help us, God has given us our conscience, or the light of Christ that is within each of us, that helps know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong.

Most importantly, just as loving parents on earth set specific rules and boundaries for the safety and well-being of their children, God has given us boundaries in which to live (i.e., commandments) and promised that He will bless and prosper us as long as we stay within those boundaries.

We read in the scriptures that Christ taught only those things that He had heard from the Father. Christ taught, “If ye love me keep my commandments.”

The apostle Paul taught, as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Unfortunately, we live in a time when more and more people are embracing the idea that God’s commandments are too restrictive, tie us down, and keep us from experiencing the true “freedom” that we desire and deserve. Many have even embraced the brazen lie that God’s commandments are cruel because they are set and unchanging and don’t make allowances for letting us to do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it.

Commandments Are Like Kite Strings…

In fact, the complete opposite is true. While it is true that God’s commandments tie us down, it is not in a restrictive manner, but rather in a way that keeps us on solid ground. Just as a kite string keeps a kite steady and allows the kite to soar up into the sky and stay flying, so too God’s commandments keep us tied to solid, unshifting ground and, when we keep them, enable us to soar in ways we never thought possible because we are partnering with God.

However, what happens if the kite string gets severed? We know what happens. It may fly higher for a time, giving the illusion of greater freedom, but then it comes crashing down hard, with the possibility that it might be damaged beyond repair.

The same is true with God’s commandments. When we sever those ties and go with the flow of doing whatever we think or feel is right at the moment, we may experience the illusion of freedom for a time, but then we come crashing down hard and can be severely damaged — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Have we reached that state as a world? I believe we have. Many crises we experience very well be a result of God allowing us to reap the consequences of our choices with the hope that as we come crashing down, we will again turn to Him and seek the help that He so desperately wants to give us.

Just as a kite that has crashed needs our intervention to repair it if it is ever to fly again, so we need God’s intervention to repair us if we are to fly again and soar as He desires us to soar.

Now, back to the question, “Where is God in this coronavirus crisis?”

He is there, He is aware, and He wants to help us. He’s always been there and has never moved.

Rather, it is we who have moved ourselves away from Him.

It is up to us to turn back to God and seek His help. He is waiting patiently for us to do so, for He will force no man to turn to Him.

A vital thing to remember, though, is this — just as we can’t expect to lose weight overnight when we’ve mistreated our bodies for years, neither can we expect to repair a damaged relationship with God overnight. If we’ve been turned away from God for a long time when things have seemingly been good and we felt like we didn’t “need Him,” can we expect to turn to Him now, in a time of crisis, and have our relationship with Him instantly repaired? No, it will take time. He will hear us and bless us as we exercise great deal of humility, along with sincere repentance for those things which we have done which damaged the relationship in the first place — but it will take time. He will need to know that our desires and our actions are truly sincere, not just “pie crust” promises made in times of desperation.

To read more of Randall’s articles, click here.

Because of Christ and His sacrifice for us, we can repent. We can rest assured that as we do so with all sincerity, with the intent to bring our lives back into harmony with Christ’s and God’s commandments, God’s tender mercies will be extended towards us. He will comfort us, sustain us, lift us and enable us, through His grace, to lift and bless others.

In partnership with Him, we can rest assured that we will make it through any crisis and come out better and stronger than we were before for having passed through it.

For myself, I know these things to be true.

Randall McNeely

Randall McNeely is a husband, father of five, and author. He is also a singer/songwriter and has written several patriotic songs, children’s songs, and multiple religious hymns. The best known is ‘Oh Jesus, Savior of Mankind’, which won a Special Recognition award in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 2008 Music Submission contest. He and two of his daughters have also recorded and released the children’s song Everybody Speaks Smile!

Randy has a firm testimony of Jesus Christ. He is the light and the life of the world. It is said and written of Him that “He went about doing good.” In doing so, He weaved light into the hearts and souls of all with whom He came in contact, both in word and deed. Randy’s desire is to have the same said of him. He wants to have the words and lyrics he writes uplift, inspire, and bless others. To read more articles by Randy visit his Pure Testimony website at www.puretestimony.org.

After a lot of thought and consideration for the young women in my ward, I decided that the spiritual experience needed to be a surprise element at camp that the YCL’s didn’t plan. I felt that even they needed spiritual experiences to help their faith in our Savior grow. I decided to provide this experience by planning and carrying out a “Faith Walk.” One YCL had mentioned that she had never done a faith walk in the dark before and that she had always wanted to. I had no idea how to plan a faith walk or even where to begin! But one thing I knew for certain was that a faith walk in the dark was important to this young woman and that it was her last year at camp, so I needed to make it happen.

Over the next several weeks, I spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do and how to make this faith walk spiritual. After a lot of pondering and even more praying, I decided that the faith walk needed to be based on our Savior, Jesus Christ. I also knew that I had to make this faith walk safe, especially considering there had been bear sightings in the area the week before. I couldn’t just turn the girls loose on the mountain in the dark! But at the same time, I didn’t want the distraction of flashlights. As I thought about how to make this a meaningful spiritual experience, I felt like I was left completely in the dark. But as I pondered and thought about each girl, thoughts slowly began to form. And little by little, the ideas built on each other and became a guide to creating the faith walk.

I decided to have the girls make a lantern out of a jar shortly after they arrived at camp. Once their lantern was complete, I gave each young woman a battery-operated tea light candle to light their lanterns. What they chose to do with their lantern or their light was up to them. After a couple more activities (and while the young women ate dinner), I set up for our faith walk in the dark. 

I had twelve tall posts that I placed in the ground. Some posts were farther apart than others and not all were placed evenly apart or in a straight line. Each post had a different photo depicting the events leading up to the crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ. With each photo was a quote or a small description of what happened in the picture, along with an analogy of how it applies to our lives today. On each post, below each photo and the description, was a lantern with a tea light candle. The lanterns matched the lanterns that the young women had made earlier in the day. The only difference was that the tea lights that were placed in these lanterns burned slightly brighter than the tea lights that I gave to the young women. But there was a purpose for this. Each lantern lit the posts and the photos of Christ, representing how He stands as our beacon in the dark.

After dinner each young woman grabbed her lantern and turned on her candle. Some candles let off a bright light because the young women carefully tucked their lanterns away in their tents, while other girls had used their lanterns and the candles burned a little dimmer. Each young woman lined up in a single file line anticipating her turn to walk on the path in the dark. One by one the girls began their faith walk, their lanterns lighting their way and each post standing like a beacon in the dark guiding the young women to where they needed to go. When one girl began walking to the second post, another girl began the faith walk, walking the trail alone to the first post where the beacon of light awaited her. The following posts weren’t as easy to see as the first and second posts as the path wasn’t straight and sometimes the posts were further apart making them difficult to see, thus representing the path that we take in this life.

As each of the girls walked the path on the faith walk, a funny thing happened. The young women whose lights were dim because they made foolish choices regarding their light, were unable to see the path. Not because they didn’t have light, but because they were too focused on how little of light that their lantern let off. So when they needed their lanterns they noticed how dim their lanterns were and looked to their feet instead of looking up to the beacon that was guiding their path the entire time. But the young women who made wise choices regarding their lanterns didn’t notice where they stepped. They knew that there was a brighter light guiding them. They knew their lanterns were there when and if they needed it, but these girls looked up to the light on the posts as their guide or their beacon in the night. And while their lanterns were important to staying on the path, their lanterns became insignificant as it was a greater light that they sought after.

Oftentimes we feel alone on our path in life and we’re not sure where to go or where to turn as we face difficulties and challenges. We might feel like our light is dimmed because of our choices, and we might not always see our path clearly as it appears distorted in the dark. We might look down at our feet trying too hard to focus on the steps that we take rather than looking up toward the light, realizing that our path is brighter because there is a beacon in the dark guiding us to where we need to go. Psalm 119:105 reads: 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

What would happen if we stopped focusing on our lack of light and where we stand? What if, instead we sought out a different light? A light that always burns bright and stands as a safe harbor like that of a lighthouse?

Our Father in Heaven gave us a Savior who died for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins, and Who by the grace of God will save us so that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven and receive immortality and eternal life someday. But our Heavenly Father didn’t just provide us with any Savior. Our Savior Jesus Christ willingly gave Himself unto us! He willingly suffered and died for us so that He can understand the pains that we will face in our mortal life. And He chooses to stand as a beacon in our darkest nights directing us back to safety.

To read more of Marie’s articles, click here.

Yet before we can be directed back, we need to quit looking down at our feet and worrying about where we stand, but instead look up! Look to the Lord, for He is our beacon in the night! When we look to our Savior and follow His plan, His words and teachings will be like a lamp to our feet, guiding our steps and thus lighting our path, guiding us safely back to our Father in Heaven. Our own lantern will burn brighter, but will still be insignificant when compared to the bright beacon that our Savior provides, as that is the light that we will rely on. Thomas S. Monson, former prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught:

“Anxiously we ask, “Is there a way to safety? Can someone guide us? Is there an escape from threatened destruction?”

 

The answer is a resounding yes! I counsel you: Look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It calls, ‘This way to safety; this way to home'” (Thomas S. Monson, “The Lighthouse of the Lord,” New Era, February 2001).

The night of the faith walk, some of the young women were slightly scared to walk alone in the dark on the mountain. But once they began the faith walk and learned about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of His love for us individually, they realized they were never alone. Not on the mountain and not in this lifetime. While we may feel like we’re lost on a mountainside from time to time, know this: regardless of the mistakes that we make or the hardships we face because of our choices, there is no fog dense enough to block the light provided by the beacon of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He didn’t die for us so that we can walk this path alone with a dim light, but so that He can stand beside us, side by side and guiding us to safety. Jesus Christ is our Savior, the solid foundation on which we stand. He is our safe harbor, our beacon in the night.

Marie Yvonne

Marie Yvonne is a motivational and devotional speaker for teens and young adults. In her devotionals, she shares her personal testimony and journey of learning to accept herself as God created her. Her journey can also be found on social media and her personal blog and website, TheConfidenceToShine.com.

www.theconfidencetoshine.com

After the ordinance was complete, we went around in a circle and shared one positive thing we had learned that week during the crazy. My heart was touched as people shared their thoughts. One person spoke of how thankful they were for a living prophet and how their testimony was stronger than ever of that principle. Another talked about how technology had blessed lives and allowed work to progress. Someone else addressed the power of connection, the importance of ministering, etc. 

While everyone learned something different, it was evident to me that the Lord was speaking to each one of us. We were all a living witness to how we had each taken the chance to hear Him this week. The meeting was so spiritually uplifting and warming to the soul. Peace penetrated my heart. 

Later in the day, I tuned into a virtual meeting where my bishop and ward members beautifully testified more of the Lord’s love. They spoke of thoughts from Come, Follow Me and their testimonies of how the gospel blessed their lives. Once again, I felt the Spirit testify to me that these individuals had prepared and had heard the voice of God in their lives. 

President Nelson recently invited us all to hear the Lord’s voice and learn how God speaks to us. He said:

“My dear friends, today I wish to share with you a special invitation. There are a few wonderful occasions in the scriptures when our Heavenly Father personally introduced His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with a specific charge to ‘Hear Him!’

 

Today, this most-important invitation from our loving Heavenly Father to listen to the voice of the Lord and to follow His teachings is extended to us.

 

In this special year as we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the First Vision, I invite you to think deeply and often about this key question: How do you hear Him? #HearHim.”

To read more of Ashley’s articles, click here.

As I participated in a very home-centered church, I could see it. I could see it for myself, but also for others. It caused me to reflect more on the prophet Joseph Smith, who also had a home-centered gospel study. It was as he personally sought answers that he was lead to pray and had so many things opened to his mind. 

It increased my desire to really take advantage of this gospel study time for myself. Perhaps the Lord has given us so many obstacles so that we could all slow down a little and learn how He speaks to us.

Ashley Dewey

Ashley Dewey is extremely talented at being single. Hobbies include awkward conversations with members of the opposite sex, repelling third dates, talking to boys about their girl problems and to girls about their boy problems. In her spare time she also has a very fulfilling school life, work life, and social life.

Besides being a professional single, Ashley is also a BYU graduate with a degree in linguistics (Aka word nerd). She enjoys studying other languages, particularly American Sign Language, and finds most all of them fascinating. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.

Ashley works most of the time and has often been accused of being a workaholic. Currently she works full time as a merchandiser and supervisor in a retail store, and part time doing social media work. On her day off she works (really it doesn’t feel like work) in the Provo LDS temple. The only kind of work she finds difficulty focusing on is house work.

Her favorite activities in her free time are reading, writing, creating social experiments, and spending time with great friends and family. Specific activities with those family and friends include: going to concerts, plays, dance recitals, BYU basketball and football games, and watching sports on television.

Everyone’s family looks different. Even in my nuclear family, some of our journeys are vastly different from each other. Testimonies are connective and the value of sharing testimony is immense—even if it’s written or expressed to ourselves and for ourselves.

MY TESTIMONY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON 

by Darla Bushman, February 6, 2020

The “Come Follow Me” lesson for this week asked a question that spurred me onward to something I have been thinking of doing for a couple of weeks. The question is, “If you knew your life was coming to an end, what final messages would you want to share with those you love most?”

I had already decided that I should write down my testimony of the Book of Mormon. Delisa asked me to share it on the day of Asher’s football game, but for some reason, I declined to do it then. I do want you all to know for sure I have that testimony, and not hide it, so I will do my best to share it with you in writing.

It was on Saturday, January 18th that our bishop called late and asked me to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon the next morning in sacrament meeting along with others. I was happy to say yes, but I was surprised when I was one of only two he asked to do that along with our stake president who was also going to speak. I had thought about what I might say but didn’t write anything down.

So now I’ll write as much of what I said as I can remember (with maybe further explanations and any other bits I want you to know).

I mentioned that I didn’t know why the bishop asked me or how he knew I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but I do have one and I knew that my Heavenly Father knows I do.

I said that it is my pleasure to join the other witnesses of the Book of Mormon, even those whose testimonies are written in the book and the millions of others whose are not, especially our Savior Himself who declared to us as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 17:6 about the Book of Mormon, “…as your Lord and your God liveth, it is true.” 

I told that I have been privileged to have the Book of Mormon in my possession all my life. Many of my ancestors sacrificed greatly to join the Church and gather with the Saints. I know that some of them were among the Gentiles Nephi saw who came forth “out of captivity” across the waters to this land, as described in 1 Nephi 13:13-20. I feel that I too would be willing to make a journey or pilgrimage or trek if I had to to be able to worship God as the Book of Mormon recommends, and I can testify of its truthfulness because of things I have seen and felt and know.

I explained that as a child growing up, I did not read the Book of Mormon with my family very much, and we weren’t so often admonished from the pulpit to read it every day as we are now. I learned about it and referred to it a lot and finally read it in seminary, but my testimony is founded on an experience I had when I was 18.

In 1965 my parents and five of their children went on a vacation, traveling all across this beautiful land of America. It was a long road trip in a crowded sedan from Idaho to New York to attend the World’s Fair, but it was wonderful! We stopped along the way at many Church history sites, including the Hill Cumorah Pageant. My father enjoyed the pageant so much that he changed our plans and we stayed over to watch it again another night.

That gave us the opportunity to be there on Sunday morning to attend a sacrament meeting held on the grounds at the foot of the Hill, and we sat on benches where the audiences would sit to watch the pageant. Several General Authorities were in attendance, but I remember only three: Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who at that time was an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder N. Eldon Tanner, an Apostle, and Marion D. Hanks, an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They all spoke and bore testimonies about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and also about the fact that the final battles of two great nations written about therein occurred all around where we were sitting—that the Nephites and Jaredites walked, and fought, struggled and died right there in that expanse of land next to the Hill. The Spirit bore witness to my soul that their words were true and that is a feeling I can’t deny or ever forget.

After about 20 years, in 1985 or so, my husband and I and the six children we had at the time decided to follow the counsel of our bishop and read the Book of Mormon every day as a family. We tried hard, but for many months we only managed to read about 15 days out of 30, as I kept track of the days we read and what page we were on. Still, it became part of our daily lives and I can testify that there is a power in the Book of Mormon that can bring families closer to God than any other book.

As we kept trying to read every day, I could feel how good it was for us—some of our children learned to read with the Book of Mormon and one son who was in seminary asked and was given permission to leave a family campout and drive 45 miles home to get a Book of Mormon so he could read every day and not miss a single day.

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

I finally noticed that we had reached my goal of family scripture reading every day for a month when I counted over two months of daily reading just a few weeks before our fourth child left for her full-time mission, 17 years after we started this.

Is there a power in the Book of Mormon? I know there is! All eight of our children chose to serve missions, they all went on to graduate from college, and all eight will be with us in the Payson temple next week when our last child is married!

Now, we live in the days when many physical evidences are coming forth from the world to support the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I have read DNA studies that support it. I have walked on mounds that were built anciently with the same fortifications described by Captain Moroni. I have seen a ship that was built after the fashion of those built in 600 BC that made a voyage around Africa that showed how Nephi’s ship could have traveled. 

I know the latitude of the southern United States is the same as that of Jerusalem and that the seeds and plants and animals necessary for living the Law of Moses could grow where Lehi and his children could use them. These and other evidences strengthen my already strong testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and powerful. I know it is God’s tangible “visual aid” given to help us spread His gospel, to teach and bring souls to Christ in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Brigham Young taught:

The second prophet of the restored Church, Brigham Young

This people believe in revelation. This people did believe and do believe that the Lord has spoken from the heavens. They did believe and do believe that God has sent angels to proclaim the everlasting Gospel, according to the testimony of John [see Revelation 14:6–7] (DBY, 38).

 

We often hear it said that the living oracles must be in the Church, in order that the Kingdom of God may be established and prosper on the earth. I will give another version of this sentiment. I say that the living oracles of God, or the Spirit of revelation must be in each and every individual, to know the plan of salvation and keep in the path that leads them to the presence of God (DBY, 38).

 

The Lord is not everywhere in person; but he has his agents speaking and acting for him. His angels, his messengers, his apostles and servants are appointed and authorized to act in his name. And his servants are authorized to counsel and dictate in the greatest and what might be deemed the most trifling matters, to instruct, direct and guide his Saints (DBY, 41).

 

No man can gain influence in this Kingdom, and maintain himself in it, magnify his calling without the power of God being with him. Persons must so live that they can enjoy the light of the Holy Spirit, or they will have no confidence in themselves, in their religion, or in their God, and will sooner or later turn from the faith (DBY, 33).

 

It was asked me by a gentleman how I guided the people by revelation. I teach them to live so that the Spirit of revelation may make plain to them their duty day by day that they are able to guide themselves. To get this revelation it is necessary that the people live so that their spirits are as pure and clean as a piece of blank paper that lies on the desk before the [writer], ready to receive any mark the writer may make upon it (DBY, 41).

 

No earthly argument, no earthly reasoning can open the minds of intelligent beings and show them heavenly things; that can only be done by the Spirit of revelation [see 1 Corinthians 2:9–14] (DBY, 37)(“Chapter 6: The Communication between God and Man,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 41).

Indeed, we not only have the right to answers for our prayers, but we have the right to be inspired, guided and protected by our Father in Heaven.

Elder Richard G. Scott, a former apostle, spoke in length about getting the most of any personal revelation that is received in a CES (Church Educational System) Symposium in 1998. Without going into any great length, and breaking it down to a simple statement, he said that if we write down any personal revelation we receive and then ask if there is more, more will come. His talk detailed this process in detail as well as offering the caution to be humble and teachable.

Taking this advice to heart, I have received the most precious and personal revelation pertaining to my family and myself that I never would have imagined. You must understand that our Father in Heaven waits to hear from each of us. Much as you would call your mother or father now to catch up, re-establish, and strengthen your love and familial connection, our Heavenly Father wishes for you to do the same.

My friends, remember who you are, for you are children of God, beloved of our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. Who you are matters to Heavenly Father. Your happiness or sorrow matter to Jesus Christ. Your life, every minute of every day, is lovingly watched over, rejoiced over, grieved over, and wept over as decisions are made and consequences are met, be they positive or negative.

The first place to start would be to shake off your preconceptions and prejudices, and with a humble and loving heart, kneel and ask: Is Jesus Christ the Messiah? Did He redeem the world? Is He the Son of God? Are you my Heavenly Father? Do you love me? Do you believe in me? Will you help me?

I assure you, the answers will come. Maybe not immediately, maybe a day, week, month, year, or even decades later, but the answer will come and you will clearly remember your question when it does. When you finish praying and listening, write all your thoughts down and then place them in a quiet and safe place where you can turn back to them often.

Your Father in Heaven did not send you to mortality without the means to “call home.” Prayer is that very sacred manner by which we may “call home.” I urge you to do it and do it often. You may be completely surprised by the changes which will take place in your life.

This article was originally published in July 2008. Minor changes have been made. 

Candace

Then someone raised their hand and made a comment that honestly — and I know this sounds dramatic, but it’s true — changed my life.

“The only title that matters,” she said, “is child of God. Spouses can leave us. Parents can abandon us. Friends can betray us. But the one thing that will never change is that we are children of God.”

That upcoming week, my life fell apart. I won’t go into details because I think this can apply to various situations in our lives, but it felt like everything I thought I knew about life was wrong; like the ground had been completely ripped out from under me.

I thought that if anything like this were ever to happen to me, I would break down. I thought I might die, or at least be unable to function. I thought I’d never get out of bed again.

But I’m still standing. It hurts so badly — more than I knew it was even possible to hurt — but I’m surviving. I’m living and breathing and moving forward knowing that no matter what happens, everything will be alright.

And it’s all because even though nearly everything I thought I knew feels like it has been completely turned on its head, the one thing that never changes is the only thing that really matters: my relationship with God and status as His child.

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

 

14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

 

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

 

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

(Isaiah 49:13-16)

In a world that is constantly changing and feels more unsure and unstable by the minute, the one thing that is always secure is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Savior never betrays us, forgets us, or turns His back on us, even when we turn our backs on Him. We are loved immeasurably by the One who knows us best; the One who knows our flaws, our struggles, and our deepest wounds. No matter what we’ve done or where we are or how far we’ve strayed, Christ will come to us and help us if we allow Him to.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom said:

“Jesus Christ is the rock upon which we must build our foundation. . . . This is not new doctrine. In one form or another, all of us understand it. Why, then, is it so difficult for many of us to live it?

 

Well, simply stated, it needs to get from our minds to our hearts and to our souls. It needs to be more than what we sometimes think or even what we sometimes feel—it must become who we are. Our connection with God the Father and His eternal plan, and with Jesus Christ, His Son and our Rock, needs to be so firmly established that it truly becomes the cornerstone of our foundation. Our identity then becomes first that of an eternal being—a son or a daughter of God—and of a grateful receiver of the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

We can then securely build other righteous identities upon that foundation because we will know which are eternal and which are temporary and how to prioritize them.”

In my life, when things have been tumultuous, Jesus Christ is the One I can turn to. He is the foundation of my life, the core of my identity. Because I have made Him my priority, I have been able to get through rough patches of my life — which seem basically constant, to be honest — without falling to pieces.

And even when I do, He is there to pick up every last piece and put me back together again — always even better than He found me.

Joseph B. Wirthlin once gave a talk about having deep spiritual roots. He compared a palm tree to an oak tree, explaining that while palm trees are beautiful, their roots are so shallow that they often don’t withstand storms or major gusts of wind. Oak trees, on the other hand, have roots so deep that it’s near-impossible for storms to knock them down.

When the roots of our lives are embedded in the Savior and His gospel, the storms of life cannot knock us down. They may snag a branch or two, or leave us a little cracked and broken, but they won’t destroy us.

I’ve learned that in life, there are no guarantees when it comes to our plans. Our loved ones get sick, people let us down, and situations that seemed so promising totally fall through. Life is beautiful, but it’s also heart-wrenching and full of suffering.

To read more of Amy’s articles, click here.

How grateful I am that amidst all of that pain and chaos of life, we have one thing — and one thing only — that is a sure thing: the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s love for us. He never changes and He will never let us down. He never breaks His promises.

He is everything to me. I am eternally thankful for His endless love and infinite goodness.

So please, if you aren’t there already, make every effort to get to know Him. He is the best friend you could ever have, the greatest supporter and confidant. Study His words. Learn about His life. Talk to Him and get to know Him so that you can more fully feel His support in the good times and especially the bad.

It is so worth it.

Amy Carpenter

Amy Carpenter is the site manager and editor for LDSBlogs.com. She served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denver, Colorado, where she learned to love mountains and despise snow. She has a passion for peanut butter, dancing badly, and most of all, the gospel.

I’d been driving in slick and blinding conditions across Wyoming’s I-80 for a while, pressing onward towards a visit to the Fort Collins Colorado Temple. But the knowledge that we’d be driving back across that highway again soon left me feeling deflated and worried. Should we turn back now? I could visit Fort Collins another time.

The Plan to Accomplish the Goal

Fort Collins, Colorado Temple

My goal to visit every temple in the world began in 1992 when I received my endowment. The experience filled me with wonder and I wanted to see God’s glory in every temple. My mom supported my goal and we’ve road-tripped all over the United States and Canada together. We’ve visited temples together internationally. We celebrate this goal together.

In fact, a few days prior to the blizzard, we planned our temple trip. I had a distinct impression that the weather in Wyoming would be difficult. Because of that prompting, I’d decided to visit one only temple I hadn’t been to instead of three temples relatively close to my parents’ house.

I was really close to the 100 temple milestone at 96 temples. Mom, eager to help me reach my milestone goal this year, said she felt like we could also do the trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, and Star Valley, Wyoming. She checked the weather. It looked like it would be fine on the two days we were going to drive 2,100 miles. She was willing to go for it.

I checked in with my feelings. Was it OK? Was the Holy Ghost telling me not to go or did I choose to fear the storm? I felt excited with the possibility to get to 99 temples. When I prayed about it, I felt like we could go.

We planned to take seven hours to drive from American Fork, Utah, to Fort Collins, Colorado. From there, we planned to drive back to nearly our starting point, but take the right turn to Meridian, Idaho. Twelve hours drive. We’d stay with my sister in Caldwell overnight. (I say that loosely because we planned to arrive at her house at midnight and leave at 5:30 a.m. for the 6 a.m. session.) Then we planned to drive the seven hours to the Star Valley Wyoming Temple and 3.5 hours home. Solid two days driving and temple-ing, culminating in three new temples I hadn’t visited before.

Executing the Plan

We left mom’s house at 5:00 a.m. on a really cold Thursday morning in January in my economy rental car. A warning light came on. One tire had low tire pressure. Luckily the first gas station we stopped at had air.

Back on the road, we headed up I-80 through Park City. The snow started to fall as we climbed the elevation through the canyon. I live in Hawaii and it had been over a decade since I’d driven in that kind of snow without a 4-wheel/all-wheel-drive vehicle. I wondered how my cheap rental car would handle ice and snow.

I soon found out.

Blizzard driving skills quickly returned as I slid across lanes. The car functioned way better than I expected. I was super grateful.

The snow paused and we began the trek across Wyoming under a gray but dry sky. I made good time and relished the 80 mph speed limits.

When we travel like this, the passenger sleeps as much as possible in preparation for switching out and driving. While Mom slept, the situation rapidly deteriorated.

Doubting the Plan

I recalled my prophecy about the blizzard in Wyoming. The conditions I experienced was exactly the image that came to my mind. I berated myself, chiding my decision to go against what I knew would happen.

During times Mom awoke, we talked about what we should do.

I’d slowed to barely creeping. I knew our time constraints were critical. I groaned about the fact that we’d spend both days trying to get across Wyoming and we’d miss spending the short, cherished time with my sister. Should I just turn around and head to Idaho?

Had I been able to even see the entire median at that point, I probably would have turned around. But I kept passing semi-trucks and other vehicles overturned and plowed into the shoulders of the highway.  I kept my little car pointed as straight as possible on the road ahead and pressed forward.

Turning to the Lord

I apologized to the Lord for misinterpreting all of the promptings He’d given me. And I got an unexpected response.

“You made a good decision. Why are you vacillating now?”

Vacillating? Because I might die on Wyoming’s highway! I’d already thought of my ancestors who died in blinding, blizzardy conditions in a handcart company on Wyoming’s plains.

But through that response, I felt encouraged that I hadn’t ruined my relationship with the Lord. I felt a strange sense of hope growing. I decided to press on in our decision, come what may. The shift in attitude changed my mood.

We’d been listening to an audiobook by Elder Richard G. Scott about the Holy Ghost and strengthening our hearing and doing as guided. Stories of miracles Elder Scott shared—big miracles and seemingly small miracles—when people followed the Holy Ghost filled my mind for the previous five hours. I felt his words more keenly as I’d shaken off my despair with renewed determination to forge ahead.

I resumed my prayer expressing my concern that our plans were foiled because we still had so far to travel and were so far behind schedule already. A slick patch of road interrupted my prayer. Total concentration went to stay on the road.

Command the Storm

“Delisa, command the storm.”

“What? Command the elements?”

Months of studying being endowed with power, JST Genesis 14, Doctrine and Covenants 84, 88, and 107 flooded my mind. Did I believe Jesus commanded the elements? Yes. Did I believe Melchizedek commanded the elements? Yes.  Did I believe that my father and husband commanded the elements when they bless my body to heal? Yes. I even walk today because of a priesthood blessing that commanded my elements to heal and walk.

“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”

I cleared my mind.

My issue was with the roads. I didn’t care if snow fell if the roads were passable. I didn’t need a bright, sunny day. My need was about road conditions.

I sat up tall and with faith said words to command the storm to cease hindering our path and for the roads to become dry.

I waited for a minute. Nothing happened. Then came the bombardment of opposing voices. “You couldn’t do it. You don’t have enough faith. Who are you to think you could—”

“Stop!” I cried. “I do believe!” I believed that what was put into my heart by the Lord would come to pass. I knew it. No darkened voices could make me question at that moment.

Suddenly, I crossed a demarcation line. From slick and treacherous to drying and smooth, the road changed in an instant. The blinding snow subsided. The gray clouds remained. I continued to pass vehicles on the sides of the road as I increased my speed.

It was a miracle!

Mom sat up. “Wow! The weather has really changed!”

“Yes, it has, Mom. Yes, it has.”

I made up time. We arrived at the Fort Collins Temple at 2:30PM. We did a few initiatories in that beautiful temple, took pictures, and we were on our way.

Mom drove. After navigating her back to the highway, I fell blissfully asleep, fully expecting her to experience dry, passable roads.

I slept about 40 minutes and woke up to the car sliding. I sat straight up. We’d come down this highway less than two hours before. It had been a blast to drive. Now, the road was bogged down in slippery conditions.

My brother messaged us asking how we were faring. I took a picture out the window and sent it as a response. White out.

I laid back in the seat to contemplate what happened. The thought came that I could make the same request of heaven and this time be specific about all of the areas we were traveling. I knew the road now and could see it stretched out in my mind.

I closed my eyes and silently offered the same commanding prayer. I felt even more full of faith. I knew it happened before and could again!

As if we opened a door and stepped into another world, we instantly burst out of that blizzard into sparkling sunlight!  I can’t tell you the shock it was. Sparkling sunlight and dry road amidst a sea of snow.

I sat back again in awe of the Lord’s graciousness to us. Was what we were doing vital to His kingdom? Not really. But it was really important to us. And the experience was really important to me.

I took another picture five minutes after I sent the first to the family group text. “I prayed,” I said. Their responses about the dramatic weather shift echoed mine.

I started driving again as we entered the heart of that pre-blizzard section of Wyoming. The roads were totally dry. Mom and I watched with interest as snowplows worked feverishly on the opposite side of the interstate plowing snow off the road going the opposite direction. Logically, I concluded that they’d done the westward direction first giving our side a chance to dry out.

But seeing plows still working down long stretches of the opposing road while I drove on at full speed with no distraction punctuated the miracle the Lord worked through me.

We arrived at my sister’s at 2:45 a.m. We left for the Meridian Idaho Temple at 6:30 a.m. and did a few initiatories. As I sat in the celestial room with my mom and sister, I contemplated what miracles the Lord wrought in my life—both recent and over a lifetime.

We left after some special visits and headed to Star Valley, Wyoming. Snow began to fall as we took the junction from 1-15 towards Jackson Hole. But the roads remained clear as we turned off into the stunning canyons of that remote drive. I watched deer feeding on snowy, rocky slopes. I watched for moose near the frigid snowy rivers. And I didn’t concern myself about the road to the temple. The day passed into night and we drove through another dry road section of Wyoming heading back to Utah.

Blizzards continued to hit Wyoming and Colorado for the rest of that weekend.

Another Command

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

I’ve felt prompted that I needed to share this experience, though I hesitated. It was mine. Though Mom experienced the immediate results, I didn’t tell her or anyone else what transpired.

But I haven’t been able to write anything since the thought came to write this experience. I used other people’s words to help fill my obligations during this time.

The morning I finally wrote it, I went to my scriptures, and they opened to Alma 62:50.

Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them….

I flipped my scriptures to see where they would land next.

2 Nephi 1:1-2

And now it came to pass…our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them….

And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives….

The reminder to share this story, to testify of the Lord’s mercy, rang in my ears. I really didn’t know how to share it, though! How could I put words to explain what happened and what I felt?

My eyes glanced above those verses to the last verse of the previous chapter.

1 Nephi 31:22

Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is.

I went to the laptop to write. And for the first time in a couple of weeks, words began to flow. I realized I couldn’t adequately describe what happened but that I could testify that it did happen. Maybe my experience would give hope to someone else who finds themself blinded by a storm and sliding off of some metaphorical or literal life road.

Regardless of the point, reliving the experience filled me with profound gratitude in a God who hears and knows and believes in us. His words are power. And in His command, we can do all things.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

A year ago, my daffodil bulbs needed desperate attention. I dug them all up, split the bulbs, and replanted them. I planted the pale yellow daffodils in the backyard. The bright yellow ones were planted in pots in the front yard. They were all beautiful in the spring. When they finished blooming, I left the bulbs in the ground in the backyard, but I took the bulbs out of the pots in the front yard and planted other flowers. The bulbs were carefully packed away to replant for this year. Then life got in the way, and the bright yellow bulbs didn’t get planted until the first part of February. Spring flowers bloom early where I live, and the pale yellow flowers in the backyard are already blooming—yet I have only just planted the bright yellow ones. I have no idea whether they will bloom or whether I have ruined the bulbs.

Testimonies are like daffodil bulbs. They need care to bloom. The seed of the testimony is planted in fertile soil, watered frequently with prayer, and warmed by the sunlight of scripture study. The roots are carefully loosened with fasting and repentance, and fertilized by partaking of the sacrament. The blossoms thrive when we magnify our callings. The bulbs are separated and replanted through challenges and adversity.

Many years ago, before I married my husband and early in our marriage, I had a lot of houseplants. I loved taking care of them and watching them thrive. When our first child was born, I realized that I had the energy to care for children or houseplants—but I couldn’t handle both at the same time. I gave away all my houseplants except one hardy philodendron that didn’t need much care. I don’t know how, but the silly thing has miraculously managed to survive our 43 years of marriage. It totally gets ignored until it is on the verge of death. Then I take it in the kitchen, loosen the roots with a spoon, and give it some water until it perks up.

I looked at that silly philodendron last night, wondered why oh why it doesn’t just give up, and almost tossed it in the garbage. Then I didn’t. I realized that I take care of my philodendron the same way I take care of my testimony. I have spurts where I read my scriptures, my prayers are more meaningful, I attend the temple more regularly, and I am more diligent in my church callings. My testimony thrives, and I grow spiritually. Then through pure laziness, prayers become rote, scriptures remain unopened, and weeks go by without walking through the temple doors. Without even realizing it, my testimony looks like my starving philodendron.

One would think that I would eventually get the hang of this, but this appears to be the cycle of my life.

But a testimony is not a work that is merely completed and concluded. Indeed, it is a process in continuous development. Nourishing and strengthening our testimonies is essential to our spiritual survival. …

 

To read more of Tudie’s articles, click here.

Brothers and sisters, I am absolutely sure that you can imagine how long my journey was to arrive here. But I ask if you know what brings me here? And I hasten to answer: my testimony.

 

It is a special gift of our Heavenly Father given through the Holy Ghost to all people who search for truth. (See Moro. 10:4–5.) It is wise to gain and improve a testimony of the truth because it not only helps us face our daily challenges, but it also opens our eyes, minds, and hearts to the great and marvelous things created by our Heavenly Father for our improvement and eternal happiness (Elder Helvécio Martins, “The Value of a Testimony,” Oct. 1990 General Conference).

I will water my philodendron this morning, I’ll water my daffodil bulbs, then I’ll curl up in my chair with my scriptures. The beauty of the plan of salvation is repentance. It appears that the repentance process will always be tied to my testimony. I need my testimony to thrive, so I will repent and give it nourishment—just like I repent and nourish the philodendron and daffodils. Let’s hope that my testimony is always as resilient as my plants.

Tudie Rose

Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.