I have been struggling with my faith. Not in a way that I want to leave the Church or anything like that. It is more about questioning why things have to be done or why it has to be done a certain way. Someone today talked about Faith and it being an action word and gave an
analogy. It kind of weird but it works. Jesus stands ready to walk a
tight rope and asks if we have faith that He can walk the tightrope. We
of course say yes. He then blindfolds himself and ask again if we have
faith He can walk the tightrope. We say yes. He then brings out a
wheelbarrow and asks again if we have faith and again we say yes. He
then ask if He were to fill with with bricks do we have faith that he
can still walk on the tightrope and again we say yes. He then says "Get
in" I have not been actively working on my Faith. I have not made it a
priority and so I am going to do what I had done so many years ago when I
realized I didn't have a testimony of the Gospel. Read the Book of Mormon
I found a 180 Book of Mormon challenge from the Perth Australia Rockingham Stake and I thought that not only should I read it and study what the challenge says to study but to also write about it. So here I go.
Day 1 & 2 was about reading the Preface (Title Page), Introduction, Testimony of Three Witnesses, Testimony of Eight Witnesses, Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and marking the the quote by Joseph Smith about the Book of Mormon was the most correct book and the keystone of our religion and you can get nearer to God. It also include a quote from President Hinkley saying:
“I would like to urge [everyone] to again read the Book of Mormon…There is nothing we
could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our individual lives an unshakable
conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God. And, my brothers and
sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book.”
I need this unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ and that He and Heavenly Father love me and are aware of my desires, needs as well as my disappointments and sorrows. So many years ago as a teenager that relationship was the most important thing to me. Again, years later, it was important to me again as I struggled through great sorrow and pain. What I need is it to be important to me, not only during the bad days but the good ones too. Maybe by having this conviction again, I can have faith to keep doing the things that I am asked to do even when it is most difficult. I want to make the Gospel a priority in my life the way it once was so long ago. I have let life get in the way and feel overwhelmed of the things required of me and the sadness due to failure of not getting everything done because there just doesn't seem to be enough time. So like the empty pickle jar, I will begin filling my life with the important things first and then add in all the rest. It is supposed to fit and I need to have Faith that it will.
