In today’s crazy world, there are so many mixed
messages being broadcast, twittered, published, and shared in various forms of
social media, I can understand why there is confusion about what is real, and
what is not. We live in a world of technological wonder, and yet there is more
unhappiness, misery, anger, and greed flourishing despite all of the remarkable
items that are available to make life easier. I have to ask, then, what is
missing? In my opinion, it boils to down to simply one thing: we’ve lost our
way. We have become so disillusioned, hardened, and skeptical, we no longer
believe in the simple things that make life worthwhile: faith, hope, and
charity.
I understand the confusion. I felt the same way
years ago as a struggling teen. At that time we lived in a community where
several religions existed. When school was in session, lunch hour became a
heated discussion in the hallway as my peers did their best to prove that their
way of thinking was correct. Doctrine was shared and debated, and each day I
grew more confused as I tried to figure out for myself what was true.
At home, I continued to receive mixed messages. My
mother had always believed in God, and had taught us at a young age that prayer
was how we communicated with our Father in heaven. Nightly prayers were
encouraged before we went to bed. It had become a habit. Then one day, my
maternal grandmother became critically ill. When her life hung by a tiny
thread, our father gathered us together in the living room for the first ever
family prayer rendered by our clan. For the first time I heard my father pray
out loud as he begged for my grandmother’s life to be spared. Sadly, it was
not. After her death, my father told me that prayers were not answered. It was
a confusing time.
Because it was a habit, I continued to pray each
night, and I often begged to know who was right and what was true. Then one
night (back in the “olden days” sacrament meeting was held at night) as I sat
with some of my friends during a fast and testimony meeting for the LDS church,
a young lady stood up to share what was in her heart. She was a college
student, and someone most of us respected. As a result, we listened to every
word she said. When she shared that she knew she was a daughter of God, my
heart began to burn within my chest. It was something I had never experienced
before and I was puzzled. Later I would understand that I had received some
very strong promptings from the Holy Ghost, but at the time, I had no idea what
was happening. Regardless, that incident filled me with a desire to gain a
testimony for myself. The problem was, I had no idea how to go about obtaining
such a thing. So I asked one of my friends for advice, someone I knew would be
honest with me. We were the same age, and she lived next door, which was handy.
I wandered over one night to visit, and eventually asked this friend of mine
how one went about gaining a testimony. She told me that I needed to read the
Book of Mormon, and then pray about it.
Excitement filled my heart. Could it be that simple?
I hurried home to put her counsel to the test. I went inside my bedroom, shut
the door for privacy, and dug out my copy of the Book of Mormon. I sat on my
bed and read a couple of chapters. Then I closed the book, knelt down in prayer,
and asked for a witness that it was true. I was expecting something similar to
a fireworks display, and was disappointed when it didn’t happen. I did
experience peace of heart, which was an indication I was on the right path, but
I was too young and silly to appreciate what that was.
Disappointed, I tried to go to sleep, my father’s
words echoing in my head. “Prayers aren’t answered. No one listens. Why
bother?”
A few days later, I talked to my next door
neighbor/friend again and told her about my experience and how disappointed I
was. She simply smiled, and told me that I needed to read the entire Book of
Mormon—stressing that eventually, I would receive the witness I was seeking.
Sighing, I finally comprehended that gaining a testimony wouldn’t happen
overnight.
To make an extremely long story short, let’s just
say that during the next few months, opposition descended with a fury. This
happens whenever we are trying to do a good thing. The adversary doesn’t just
stand idly by when we are struggling to find truth. He throws everything he can
at us to prevent that from happening. Doubts are whispered into our hearts and
minds. Others around us are prompted to do and say hurtful things that can
become obstacles as we seek to find our way. And challenges arise that
sometimes bring us to our knees.
The death of my grandmother that year was a constant
heartache. I had been her oldest granddaughter, I carry her name, and there had
been a special bond between us. Losing her made me question things I thought I
knew about life and death . . . and prayer.
A few months later, one of my closest friends was
diagnosed with Lupus, and we nearly lost her as her kidneys shut down. She
spent months residing in a hospital in Salt Lake City as I once again came face
to face with questions about life . . . and death . . . and prayer.
Then, adding insult to injury, I was attacked in the
park across from my home one night. It wasn’t a random event. I had been called
by my attacker (he lied about who he was—and this was before the day of Caller
ID) and I was invited to an after-Christmas party, something I was assured all
of my friends would be attending. Thinking this was a chance to de-stress, I
walked over since the park was just across the street from our house, and found
myself under attack from an unknown person. (We never did discover who he was.)
Following strong promptings that came immediately (it was like someone was
yelling inside my head to get my attention, since I was paralyzed with fright)
I fought back and my assailant dropped me in the snow, and ran away. I was not
harmed physically, aside from a few bruises, but emotionally, I would carry
scars for a very long time. After that, I didn’t trust people. I was terrified
to go anywhere alone, especially at night. So on and so forth. Once again I
struggled with questions about life . . . death . . . and prayer.
My Young Women leaders were concerned because I
seemed to retreat into a shell. I rarely attended meetings, especially those at
night. I went to school, came home, and spent a lot of time in my room playing
my guitar. I felt betrayed by everyone, including God. How could He have
allowed this terrible thing to happen? Wasn’t I trying to be a good person? Hadn’t
I been working on gaining a testimony? I was so busy feeling sorry for myself,
I blocked out how watched over I had actually been during the attack at the
park.
About three months later, my desperate Young Women
leaders went to my parents and begged for their help. A tri-stake youth
fireside would be held in West Yellowstone that spring and they felt this event
would help me return to a sense of normalcy. In the past, my parents had always
vetoed trips of this nature. I was their oldest child and they had been a
little over-protective. The attack in the park didn’t help with this. However,
they were beginning to worry over my retreat from life. And so we witnessed a
tiny miracle—my parents gave their permission for me to attend the youth
conference. I was stunned. I hadn’t even asked to go, since I didn’t want to go
anywhere, and I knew they would say “NO!” My parents and leaders assured I
would be watched over and protected during the entire experience, and
eventually, I agreed to attend.
It was a blissful weekend. My friend who had been in
the Salt Lake Hospital, was home recovering, and she went with me to this
event. The two of us stayed in a hotel room with one of the Young Women
leaders—a promise made to my parents—and I felt safe for the first time in
weeks. The workshops held were enjoyable, and I actually smiled, something my
friends and Young Women leaders pointed out. Everyone held their breath, hoping
I was on the way back from my traumatic event.
The last night of the conference, a special
testimony meeting was held. As I sat with my friends, we were in agreement that
a person had to be crazy to get up in front of all these people. We had been
mixed in with kids from all over the area—it was a tri-stake event and there
were people in attendance that we didn’t know.About half-way through the meeting, my heart once
again felt like it was on fire—the same thing I had experienced months before
when the college girl had shared her testimony. I found that I couldn’t just
sit there. I stood up and headed to the pulpit. My friends and leaders were
shocked. I had pretty much become a recluse since the attack. Now I was on my
feet, walking toward a microphone. That was yet another miracle.
I don’t remember everything I said that day, but
I’ve never forgotten how I felt as I shared what was in my heart. It was a
simple, heartfelt testimony of truth. No details about my very bad year were
shared—but as I stated that I knew I was a daughter of God, a strong witness
was borne to me that this was true. And suddenly, all of the answers I had been
seeking fell into place. I knew the Book of Mormon was true, something I had
been studying all year. And because it was true, I knew that Joseph Smith was a
prophet of God. All of the pieces of a testimony I had prayerfully begged to
obtain, came together. When I returned to my seat, my heart was filled with a
joyful peace I’ve never forgotten. That feeling stayed with me the entire
night. The best part was, after the meeting, a younger girl in our ward came up
to me and gave me a hug, telling me that for the first time, she had felt
something from someone else’s testimony—the circle was complete.
I have had many trials—many challenges since that
time, but the testimony I worked so hard to obtain, has stayed with me. It has
been the glue in my life. Years ago, it helped me heal from a traumatic event
that could have ruined everything. It helped me understand the miracles that had
been a part of my life all along. It has helped me appreciate the little things
that are actually the big things in mortal mode. It has filled me with the
knowledge that God is very real, and He loves His children. He does answer
prayers—but it is often in a different way and timescale than we anticipate.
Faith and hope matter—and being charitable toward others is the key to finding
true happiness.
I still reflect on life . . . and death . . . and
prayer—but now I know how important these things are. I’ve never taken them for
granted and each one has touched my heart in a myriad of ways.
To those of you who are seeking truth—know that the
pieces will come together eventually. Sometimes we just have to put our trust
in God and steadfastly do those things we know will eventually help us find our
way. It will take time and effort, but the end result is very much worth the
journey.
