jonathan, Author at Why Mormonism

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Remembering Jesus Christ‏

jonathan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:16:02 +0000

As a college student at BYU, I have noticed that the power and confidence that I need to make every day decisions comes through trying to live a life centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ. This message is everywhere—in every volume of scripture. When hardships or trials come, the source of power that is needed to cope with them comes through remembering the Savior Jesus Christ. These lessons are described throughout the Book of Mormon (a text revered as sacred by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”). The lives of the prophets and people illustrate what blessings come from remembering their Savior. Nephi, one of those prophets describes his purpose for writing the scriptures, “And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer” (1 Nephi 19:18).
Nephi has written scripture for the entire purpose of persuading people to remember their Redeemer. This concept of remembering Jesus Christ guides actions and behaviors, which is the reason that Nephi desires to give the greatest piece of advice by exhorting others to always remember the Son of God. It is only when one forgets their Savior that they fall into temptations, and make wrong decisions. Why is it so hard to remember though? This is what makes life a challenge with opportunity to grow. Despite the times I forget, I know personally that life in every aspect becomes easier and better when I remember the Savior and make a decision that reflects the teachings and life of Christ.
Two of the main sources I have looked to in order to better remember the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ are the scriptures, and my attendance to church each week.

The scriptures are a great source of comfort and guidance because they describe in the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon the actual life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Also in the Bible are the prophesies and testimonies of prophets from before the life of Christ, especially the words found in Isaiah. One of the very first scriptures that inspired me and I memorized it at age 8, was Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.” In my young mind I was comforted, although I hadn’t made big mistakes yet, I knew that I could repent and be washed clean through Jesus Christ.

The other source of remembrance is by attending church each Sunday. At church we participate in the ordinance of the Sacrament, where we partake of bread and water in remembrance of the atonement of Jesus Christ. This partaking and remembering Jesus Christ, is a source of renewing a covenant each week to be better than I have been and to more align my desires with the desires my Heavenly Father has for me. As life becomes busy and hard it is easy to forget, but if we remember the Lord Jesus Christ we will have the power we need to do what is right and be confident in what ever decisions lie ahead.

Jakob G.

Additional Resources:

Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon

Find a local meeting house.

What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ?

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects On Struggles

jonathan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:04:41 +0000

While I am very blessed to even be alive, or here at a Brigham Young University, life can still be hard. Although most of the time the worst struggles I face are simply a few bad grades here and there, life for me can still be over encumbering at times. For the past few weeks I’ve found it difficult to balance out my life, not knowing exactly what to do, or where to start. As I have learned from my Book of Mormon (a religious text for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”) class, however, I know that I should simply be thankful for the opportunities given to me. To solve my problems I should complain less, work more, and rely on the power of the Lord, who will never abandon us as long as we are there to accept Him.
This week in class we continued reading the accounts of a prophet named Nephi and his family. In chapter 4 of the second book of Nephi we find a particularly moving psalm. Nephi writes about the last words and death of his father. As he writes, however, Nephi is moved to cursing himself. While previously Nephi is thought of in the highest regard, having obeyed every commandment of the Lord prior to this chapter, here Nephi begins to open up. We observe Nephi exclaiming in 2 Nephi 4:17 “O wretched man that I am!” condemning himself and his “iniquities”. The part that I find most interesting, however, is that throughout all that I’ve read, the worst sin Nephi has ever committed is loathing himself. Out of all the many sins that he could have committed, his only one so far has been to speak badly about himself. While we shouldn’t speak badly about ourselves, I think the fact that Nephi called himself a “wretched man” is actually very humbling. Nephi was a prophet whose life revolved entirely around serving God, and yet he still cannot think of himself as the divine student we see him as. This poses a striking contrast to the world we see today. There are people everywhere committing sin left and right, the most common of which is pride. This same verse about Nephi, is also very endearing to me because it reveals Nephi to be more than who we’ve seen before. Nephi reveals another dimension of his character, showing himself as a true human being who has just as many emotions as any of us. Nephi illustrates himself here as shattered man, heartbroken over the loss of his father as he states “Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of my iniquities.” Nephi faced a real struggle, something that people face every day even now. Loss is not something that is easy to cope with. What’s even better about this same chapter, however, is that within a few verses Nephi has already recovered. Although Nephi laments, he later notes that “[his] God hath been [his] support” (2 Nephi 4:20) turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in the face of adversity. What started out in this chapter as a bearing of grief soon transforms to a wonderful testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.

In our lives, we should follow the same path as Nephi–choosing faith in God.. When we face struggles and find obstacles, which we invariably will, we should be quick to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. While we may not be able to completely solve all our temporal problems by turning to the Lord, we can calm ourselves and strengthen ourselves spiritually. If we are in the same boat with the Lord, He can soothe the storms that threaten us daily.

Article by Mark M.

Additional Resources:

Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Meet with Mormon missionaries

Basic beliefs of Mormons

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Being Humble

jonathan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:53:59 +0000

Believe it or not, the idea of being humble is just as applicable now as it was in the times that the Book of Mormon (a religious text for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”) was written. The Book of Mormon is a compilation of records from Prophets that lived in the Americas about two-thousand years ago. This record was not revealed to mankind until the time of Joseph Smith in the early 1800’s. He translated the work by the hand of God for the benefit of the individuals who would read. In the first book of the Book of Mormon, 1^st Nephi, a family is commanded by God to enter the “wilderness” outside of Jerusalem. Nephi’s family had to become very humble very quickly due to the large change of circumstances. It says that they were blessed due to their humility. Everyone on earth can learn from a lesson of humility.

Everything in life can be seen as a positive or a negative occurrence. Some events like an unfortunate death are inherently possibly a negative occurrence; however, to be happy, one must keep a positive attitude or else the winds and storms of life will always overcome you. One the most paramount lessons in the Book of Mormon is that you get what you make out of life. The Book of Mormon promotes hard work, integrity, and humility. All of these qualities will necessarily make one’s life better due to the perspective that the individual uses to view one’s life.

As a student at a university such as BYU, it is sometimes hard to remain humble. I am among wonderful people and in a great location. However, whenever I get a whiff of this realization, I immediately feel worse about myself. It is not until I humble myself that I begin to feel good about myself again.

All over the Holy Bible, and the Book of Mormon, there have been similar stories like this where a group of individuals were “proud” and then they had to humble themselves. This cycle can be applied to many things. It can be applied to even a broader scale than “pride” and humility. As humans, we recognize that there are cycles for everything. There are times in my life in which I feel happier than other times. Then, undoubtedly, I feel not as good a little later. It is how we deal with these cycles and these differences in life that define ourselves. I strive every day to be a person that I would want to associate myself with. I am nowhere near perfect, however, I feel as if this is one of the best goals to have. One of my favorite thoughts is the idea that character is what you do when no one is looking. When I was 10, I found a $100 bill on the ground at my school. Instead of using it to buy many baseball cards (which I was tempted to do), I turned it into the school office. Looking back, that was one of the biggest defining moments of my life. It was then that I had acted on the teachings of my parents to live a life that I wanted to live.

By Alex W.

Additional Resources:

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Request your free copy today.

What Do Mormons Believe about Life, Happiness, and Jesus Christ?

Learn about Thomas S. Monson, the prophet of the LDS Church.

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Being Made Strong Through God

jonathan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:23:01 +0000

In my Book of Mormon class here at Brigham Young University my professor often reiterates this plea to make it our story. He wants us to read these sacred scriptures and then find ourselves in them. I felt the power of this request in my life this week as I read 2 Nephi, Chapter 3, verse 7. Here the patriarch of the main family being portrayed in Book of Mormon named Lehi, is dying and giving last words of wisdom to his children. He says to his youngest song Joseph, “And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.”

This scripture is actually a prophecy about Joseph Smith Jr. who would restore Jesus Christ’s church in modern times. Lehi is explaining how the Lord will take an uneducated farm boy and make him the prophet of the restoration. However I focused in on that first phrase specifically, “And out of weakness he shall be made strong.” This is describing a beautiful and simple doctrine that it is in our moment of greatest need when Heavenly Father will lift us up and make us successful.

Throughout time this pattern has been shown through various prophets and faithful individuals. For example Moses was not a strong speaker or leader and couldn’t understand why the Lord had chosen him to lead the Children of Israel out of captivity. But the Lord knew that because of Moses’ faith in Him the weaknesses would be turned into strength. Indeed Moses was successful in helping the Hebrews escape the Egyptians. There is another powerful example in the New Testament when the woman with an issue of blood seeks out the Savior. Her physical weakness was turned into a strength when, in faith, she touched the hem of Jesus Christ’s robe and she was healed.
Though I am no Moses and struggle to have the same amount of faith as that woman, I too can utilize this principle of the Lord turning weaknesses into strengths. I think one of the greatest weaknesses in my life right now is my distance from my family who live in Virginia. For almost nineteen years my family was my greatest strength and support. Now all of a sudden to be living almost 3000 miles away from them and knowing I won’t see them until December is overwhelming. There are moments every day when I want to cry out because of loneliness and when I would give anything to have them here with me in Utah. But I have spent the last month really praying to Heavenly Father to help me cope with these feelings. He has answered my prayers and helped to turn my weakness into strength. He has helped me understand that this distance is actually forcing me to become independent in various aspects of my life from cooking to laundry to editing my papers to finding transportation. More importantly, the distance has allowed me to come closer to my Heavenly Father and rely on his guidance and wisdom. Had I stayed comfortably at home I would not have had the opportunity to find the truth in Lehi’s powerful statement, “And out of weakness he shall be made strong”. I know this principle will continue to bless me throughout my life. I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints (inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”), a church that believes in such hopeful doctrine and teaches its members to rely on the strengthening power of the Savior.

By Katie S.

Additional Resources:

Meet with Mormon missionaries.

Learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Mormonism: A BYU Student Reflects on the Tree of Life

jonathan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:10:40 +0000

Lehi and his family

A prophet named Lehi from the Book of Mormon (a book revered as scripture by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the “Mormon Church by friends of other faiths) had a vision of the Tree of Life (see 1 Nephi 8). In this vision Lehi sees a tree that holds the most sweet and desirable fruit, which could make anyone happy if they were to partake of it. To get to the tree you have to go on a journey, similar to a hike, that has its ups and downs and it is not always easy to stay on the right course. This is like a representation of life and how we are all on our own journey; but where does our journey lead? Although I was born and raised in the LDS Church and have grown up reading about this vision many times; it seems every time I read it I learn something new from it and if I don’t learn something new, I am reminded of what kind of life I want to live and where I want to go. The fruit of the tree represents having eternal life and this is a goal I hope to gain some day.

In Lehi’s vision, on the path to the tree, there was an iron rod that was there to help you stay on the path to get to the tree. Besides the iron rod there were obstacles and distractions and other paths you could take which would lead you away from the tree. This is exactly how life is; it isn’t easy. We may know what the right choice but because of temptations it is not always easy. We can be blinded or get lost. Making right choices can take sacrifice and hard work, perseverance, and focus. One of the distractions Lehi saw in his vision was a large and spacious building. This building was filled with people who seemed to be having a good time and they were pointing fingers and mocking those that were holding on to the rod of iron, trying to get to the tree. For some reason this always reminds me of high school and peer pressure. Everyone wants to be in the cool crowd and be accepted. But reflecting back now, I realize that still goes on today. Now that I am older and married sometimes I wonder how I can “keep up with the Jones’?” Through the media and entertainment we can get caught up with all these material things and lose perspective of what really matters most in life.
I think it really comes down to each of us wanting to feel or be accepted, and instead of us trying to get our peers approval, we should first understand that we are and always will be accepted of God. We are his children and he is always there for us. Because he created us, our desire should want to be like our Savior and not like “The Jones’.” We should strive to be like Him for He is the only way to salvation. I know that if I can hold onto the rod of iron, by keeping the commandments, and having faith in God, I will be able to partake in the fruit of the Tree of Life.By Maliana T.

Additional Resources:

Read “Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod,” written by a Mormon apostle.

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Trials

jonathan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:22:10 +0000

I am a freshman at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church). Last week in my religion class we studied about a story in the Book of Mormon. In this story an ancient prophet named Lehi, and his family are commanded to leave their home in Jerusalem and move into the wilderness. Eventually, God leads Lehi and his family through the wilderness and across the ocean to a Promised Land on the American continent. In many ways the journey this family experiences on their way to this Promised Land is similar to our experience in mortality on our way to Heaven.

Along their way God prepares this family for this Promised Land just as God is preparing us to return to live with Him. He prepares this family by giving them trials to help them learn and grow. For example, Lehi’s wife, Sariah experienced a great trial. After they had been traveling in the wilderness for many days, God commanded Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain and bring back a scriptural record. This required them to travel through miles and miles of wilderness over several days. Sariah experienced a lot of difficulty with this commandment.

One can imagine how hard it would have been for a mother to allow her sons to travel miles and miles through the wilderness. I believe Sariah was an amazing woman, but she really struggled with this commandment. This struggle caused her to doubt Lehi and the commandment he had received from God. Eventually, however, her sons returned safely and she regained her faith, in fact, I believe this trial ultimately strengthened her faith and made her a better person, more prepared for the Promised Land. I found it so interesting that God individualized this trial for Sariah. He knew that, as a mother, this would be a very difficult thing for her, and so, out of love, and out of a desire to help her grow, God let her experience this trial. In a similarly individual way God tested the obedience and endurance of the other members of her family to prepare them for their arrival in the Promised Land. For example, one of Sariah’s sons, Nephi, would become a great prophet, who was largely responsible for the initiation of the records that would eventually be put together to form the Book of Mormon. It was through these individualized trials that God prepared Nephi for this pivotal role.

In our lives we are often tempted to ask, “Why me? Why do I have to go through this challenge?” I know that since coming here to BYU I have, with all the changes involved with going off to college, asked myself this many times. I think often God gives us trials that are particularly hard for us because He loves us and wants us to be able to return to Him. He knows that these types of trials are the ones that offer the greatest potential for growth. It is similar to a coach of an athletic team. A coach knows the weaknesses of each athlete on his team and he knows what the athletes need to do to reach their potential. Often that means doing the things that are the hardest for them. Just as these characters in the Book of Mormon were prepared for the Promised Land through individualized trials, so also does God give us trials to prepare us for heaven. As we go through life and experience these trials, we should view these trials in a more positive way, recognizing that they are opportunities for growth and that they help to fit us for Heaven.

This article was written by Zachary S., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Mormon Scriptures

The Meaning of Life

Video: http://youtu.be/Rr8xvw0cgw0

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Book of Mormon’s Purpose

jonathan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:55:09 +0000

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ but rather than taking place in the Middle East like the Bible, it takes place on the American Continent. The Book of Mormon testifies of the divinity of Christ and emphasizes his ministry here on earth. In the first verse of 1 Nephi, the first book of the Book of Mormon, Nephi, an ancient prophet, writes a brief summary of the purpose of the book. He emphasizes the who, the what, and the how of the Book of Mormon. The who being himself, Nephi, who was “born of goodly parents.” The what is “a record of the proceedings in [his] day.” The how is through having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God.” In this book, Nephi fulfills his purpose of testifying, or bearing witness, of the truthfulness of the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise nicknamed the “Mormon Church”). The Church today is the same church that Christ established on this earth in His day. By reading the Book of Mormon, the Spirit of the Holy Ghost has born witness to me that the words Nephi has written are true.

That which was relevant in his day is just as or even more relevant to us in our day. We can learn so much from the Book of Mormon, such as why we are here, where we are going, and how we can accomplish the greatest goal of attaining eternal life, living in the presence of God, once more. I know that we dwelt with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in a life previous to this earth life. We each individually chose to come to this earth, be born into families, and we chose to be tested and tried to allow us to live with Him again. We will someday have the opportunity to return to the glory of living with our Father in heaven through obedience to the commandments He has set forth for us. The commandments are not there to hinder our progression and make our lives difficult, but they are there to uplift us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Nephi was a great example of obedience. When asked to do drastic unexplainable things by the Lord, he set any doubts he could have had and aligned his will with the Lord’s will. He chose to be as perfectly obedient as he was able to be. I am grateful for the example of strict obedience that Nephi was. He was a great prophet and leader of his people, and his example is as important today as it was then. I bear witness that if you read the Book of Mormon and seek the answers to unanswered questions, you will find them within those pages. I am grateful to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and invite those seeking truth to study this gospel, as it will bring greater light into anyone’s life.

This artcle was written by Yuki L., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on Nature of Truth

jonathan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:03:48 +0000

In reading the introductory material that precedes the beginning of the Book of Mormon (which is the book of First Nephi), and after attending my Honors Book of Mormon class at Brigham Young University, I’ve decided to reflect upon the nature of truth and the relationship between truth, us, and God our Heavenly Father.

In the history of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the “Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths), there were twelve official witnesses of the Book of Mormon. The words in the Book of Mormon were engraved on gold sheets, which were actually seen and handled by these twelve people within the later 1800’s, one of which was the first modern-day prophet of our church—Joseph Smith. All twelve contributed to written testimonies of the reality and truth of the Book of Mormon, and three of those people wrote a testimony largely about the spirituality of their witness and of the modern revelation. There are two passages within this testimony that stood out to me:

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record…

…the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony unto these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ, and we shall dwell eternally in the heavens (introduction of the Book of Mormon).

These passages strike me because they serve two basic purposes: to testify that the words and teachings of the Book of Mormon are truly from our Heavenly Father and our lord Jesus Christ, not from just Joseph Smith, but though the translation of the book and the return of the true Gospel to the Earth wouldn’t have been possible without him; and to outline the end goal resulting from their decision to follow God’s commands and testify of the Book of Mormon. This end goal – to have eternal life with Heavenly Father – is and should be all of our goals. It is the reason for the Atonement, which is Jesus Christ’s suffering for our sins and dying and resurrecting so that we may follow in His footsteps, live as He did, repent of our own personal sins, and live forever in the presence of our Heavenly Father. The life that we must choose to lead – a life with Jesus Christ’s perfection as its model – is essentially the symbol of our Church. It is the life of the faithful, of the Latter-day Saints, and it means more to me than I can ever say, but I will try.

First, the words of the witnesses and the truth the church teaches make me reflect on a lesson we had in my Honors Book of Mormon class at Brigham Young Universtiy. My professor spoke of the nature of God and truth – a fact, a truth, will always be true, no matter who believes in it or not. My professor told us, “Truth is independent from people.” I think of it this way: horses exist. They are there. But what if, for some reason, not one person on the entire planet believed that horses existed? That doesn’t change the fact that horses exist. This idea, I think, is what gives me the courage to act on my faith as a Mormon – to be one of the only people in my high school who doesn’t go to that one party, or who won’t say that word, or who doesn’t hang out on Sundays. The Truth that I know to be true gives me the strength I need to believe in it and act upon it. My faith in that truth gives me incredible courage. This is how Latter-day Saints live in the world, but do their best to live by the gospel, no matter what outside influences may dictate. The following is my own personal testimony on the Church, the Gospel, and its truth, and how I can know for a surety that “the horse exists.”

When I read the testimony that those three witnesses wrote, I can honestly tell you that my heart burns in my chest. I can feel their faith, belief, and dedication – it is in line with my own. The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead along with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, testifies to me that those words that they wrote were and are true, along with the words of the rest of the witnesses, Joseph Smith, and the words of the prophets contained in the Book of Mormon. Years ago, I often wondered how I could truly believe for myself that the Book of Mormon was from God, and how I could believe that I could live forever in God’s presence rather than just die – end. I found out for myself the answer to both of those things.

I poured my heart out to Heavenly Father both silently and aloud in prayer, on my knees, when I was alone, anywhere, whenever those thoughts struck me. The answers didn’t come right away. They came more from life experiences and physical manifestations of the truth of the gospel on the Earth today – comfort for the deaths of family friends, miracles of healing in my immediate family, the warm presence of the Holy Ghost and his promptings and instructions – my own personal revelations – for me, and much more that I do not have time for in this reflection. After all this, I realized that I simply no longer had questions – I read the Book of Mormon, and the spirit of the Holy Ghost burned within me, testifying of its truth. The truths in those scriptures gradually but surely made me a better person, helped me make better decisions, and guided me toward happiness and success in my daily life. I have powerful faith in the purpose of our lives here on Earth – to be tested, to be examples to others, to learn, to serve each other, and to live the best, most righteous lives we can so that we may return to our Father in Heaven. Eternal life is a real, beautiful truth. Joseph Smith, and countless others, helped restore this truth to the Earth in the latter days, and I know and believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the one, true church on the Earth today. God is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us all and knows us individually. Jesus Christ is our Savior, our brother, and He has suffered for our sins so that we may follow His Word and return to heaven someday. The Book of Mormon is a true book, the most correct book ever written, and is an additional and essential testament of Jesus Christ and His gospel to the Bible. There is a prophet on the Earth today – he is President Thomas S. Monson, and he is God’s mouthpiece. These things and many more I believe and know.

This article was written by Andrea V., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration

Restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

MormonBeliefs.org

Mormonism: BYU Student Reflects on the Love of God

jonathan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:23:37 +0000

My mother taught me a wonderful lesson while I was growing up. Whenever she was struggling with anyone—whether with one of her children, a member of our congregation, or a neighbor—she refused to gossip about or belittle that person. Instead she referred to them as her “charity challenge” and began praying that Heavenly Father could help her see this individual as He did so that she could really come to love them. Three weeks into college I have already met a plethora of my own “charity challenges”—from roommates who test my patience, to boys who break my heart. At first it can seem tempting to just criticize them and let myself be filled with anger. However I have tried to really follow my mom’s example and act as a person who truly understands that this love of God is “the most desirable above all things”. Each morning and night I ask my Heavenly Father to help me be filled with His love towards these people with whom it may be difficult to have charitable thoughts and intentions. Through these prayers I have witnessed miracles. Within days and sometimes within hours it is as though my attitude just reverses and instead of seeking contention I am filled with compassion.

For instance, last night I was spending time with a boy who I had really come to like and who had taken me on a date on Friday night. During our conversation he started to talk about taking a different girl out this coming weekend. I sat there stunned wondering a) what made him want to date someone else so soon and b) why he was even discussing this in front of me. I went to bed filled with a lot of hurt and confusion directed at him. Yet even in this state I knelt and asked Heavenly Father to help me have charity for him. This morning as I was getting ready for school and thinking about him I felt that answer to my prayer. I began to understand his thought process a little more and realize that he was not out to intentionally hurt me. I know that each and every one of us can work to allow this love of God, this charity, into our hearts and lives more frequently and that as we do we will be blessed to live a life closer to that of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

This article was written by Katie S., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism

The Bible in Mormonism

http://youtu.be/jZMkPKJv2nw