For many this is a question beyond all questions that has been asked a trillion and a half times, at least. I know that for some it is hard to believe and for others it is easy. Personally I have never known or remember a day when I did not believe that there was a God in Heaven. My life from the time that I was young was centered around the belief that there is a God and that He is my Father. It was taught to me by my parents and I love them so much for that. But my belief goes far beyond the things my parents taught.
Every time I pray, every time I think of Him and remember all that He has done for me I am filled with peace and know of His love for me. He answers my prayers. Sometimes the answer is quick and other times it comes at a time I least expect it, but He always answers.
I have always felt close to Him and knew that He loved me. There was a time, though, that I didn't understand the role of His son Jesus Christ in my life. I didn't feel any connection to Him. I was so sad about it, but for whatever reason I just didn't understand why I needed Him in my life if I felt such a connection already with the Father of my spirit.
I prayed about it constantly. I asked everyone I knew if they had ever felt this. They would tell me that it was strange for them to hear me ask this question when they could see that Christ and His teachings had influenced my life so much and that I displayed so many of the qualities that He had shown us.
I guess I was sad the most because Christ and His role as our Savior and Redeemer are what we learn about every Sunday in church and every time we read in the Bible or Book of Mormon. In the Book of Mormon you can even turn randomly to just about any page and you will find teachings about Jesus and His mission by the prophets of the American Continent.
At this point in my life I understood well the commandments and how to live my life, but I guess I didn't understand why I was living that way. My Father in Heaven was so gracious to me and began to teach me from that point on the most precious truth I have ever known.
I am a very independent person by nature and the circumstances in my life up to that point had made me even more resistant to reaching out for help from anyone. At the time this included my Savior Jesus. I began to read a lot about why Christ came to earth. How he came to save us from death and from sin. It was every thing that I had learned all my life. Then one day I was reading from a book called, "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage that helped me to understand from my Heavenly Father's point of view why I needed the Savior in my life:
"The Eternal Father well understood the diverse natures... of His spirit-offspring; and in His infinite foreknowledge made plain to Him, even in the beginning, that in the school of life some of His children would succeed and others would fail; some would be faithful and others false... and that men, shut out from His presence and left to themselves, would sink rather than rise...It was necessary that a means of redemption be provided."
In that moment I knew more than ever that my Father in Heaven loved me. He taught me how so very important His Son was to me and to all of His children. Gratitude filled my heart more than ever before for my Savior. I knew that even if there was a chance that only one soul would accept the sacrifice His Son had made He would still have sent him. And I am so glad that He did and that I can follow His Son and choose to live my life like Him.
There is a God, and He loves me and He loves you and He sent His Son so that we can be cleansed from our sins and return to live forever with Him some day.
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48
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