When I woke up this morning and considered my blessings, considered expressing gratitude here in this public forum, I had a single thought: be not ashamed of the testimony that is in you. In months past I have spent time putting my personal testimony into words for the purpose of sharing with my children and other loved ones. Today, dear reader, I share it with you.
Some people might think a blog is not an appropriate place for a personal expression of one's most closely-held beliefs, but I'm not one of those people.
I am not ashamed of the thing I am most grateful for in my life. It is the thing I have always been and always will be most grateful for and I owe a debt to My Savior for this thing, this gift of testimony. I offer this as a token to the One who has given me all and who makes it possible for me to be all that I am.
I love Him. I want to love Him better.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I believe I lived in heaven in spirit form with a heavenly father, heavenly mother and other loved ones before I was created in physical form and born into the earth. I know I made promises and covenants there and that if I am true and faithful to those covenants and promises, I will have the opportunity to return to live with them again.
I believe I was a valiant spirit in heaven and that I was given a choice about my life, about coming to earth and about the circumstances into which I was born. I believe that free will or agency is an eternal law by which the children of God live. I believe that we each make choices about what to do with the lives we are given and that we experience consequences for good and ill based upon our choices and upon other people’s choices. I believe God wants us to be happy and helps us make choices that will lead to our happiness. I believe in The Great Plan of Happiness and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains the greatest amount of knowledge and truth about God's plan for our eternal welfare.
I also believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth; that God continuously reveals His will regarding His children on earth through living prophets. I also believe God reveals to each of us personally, through the Holy Ghost, His will for our individual lives. I believe that other churches or faiths contain truth and light which are beneficial to the human family.
I believe utterly and completely in the central doctrine of this church which is: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have been given and have accepted this gift and I know that the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit influences my life daily.
The testimony I record here, specifically those places where I state that I know certain truths, is a result of the witness of the Holy Spirit. When I say that I know I could just as easily say that I witnessed it with my own eyes, because when the Spirit bears witness of Truth, any truth, it becomes part of my being in a way that is clear and powerful and difficult to put into words.
I know the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct personages who have divinely refined and glorified physical bodies. I believe these three personages are uniquely united in their hearts, minds and will. I desire to be united with them in purpose.
I believe the world is a place of chaos and confusion; that this is a result of the fall of Adam and Eve; that this fall was the first great act of free will on the earth and that it was an act of innocence and courage on the part of our First Parents. I know the fall was essential to the Great Plan of Happiness and I am grateful for the courage of my First Parents in accepting this responsibility.
I know Satan is a real personage of spirit who actively corrupts the works of God where he is able. I believe that because of this, the pathway to heaven and our connection to God is increasingly obscured by distraction and deceit.
I believe Joseph Smith was a humble, human, servant of God who, early in his life, was sensitive to this confusion and felt a call to ask and subsequently to answer a question of faith. I believe the question pressed upon him because God had a mission for him in this world. I feel that the world needed Joseph Smith to ask the question: which of all the churches was true, and when he asked this of God in his prayers, he did so not only for himself, but for the entire human race. I believe his answer was a divine revelation intended not only for himself but for all of humanity.
I believe Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw. I know he was an instrument in restoring the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I believe the revelation he received was part of a divine plan to restore to the earth the essential powers of heaven which were first brought into the earth through Adam and Eve. I believe Christ himself brought this power, priesthood power, (the power to act in the name of God, through the Love of God) with him at the time of his mortal life and that this power, as well as the pure spirit of the Holy Ghost, was later lost from the earth through a lengthy apostasy.
I know Jesus Christ lived and walked upon the earth. I believe Jesus bestowed actual physical/spiritual power from his own body upon his apostles and that some of these very apostles appeared to Joseph Smith for the purpose of restoring this same priesthood to the earth. I believe this priesthood power, the power to act in the name of God, to administer saving ordinances such as baptism and confirmation of the Holy Ghost to the children of God on the earth, is held today by worthy Latter-day Saint men.
The heart of all my beliefs is this: I believe Jesus Christ is God, a divine being of flesh and bones; that he was born of a virgin into a mortal existence with loving mortal parents; that he is singular and unique; the only begotten of the Father.
I believe he not only lived, but he died and was resurrected. I believe he is the only person who has ever inhabited the earth who has had full access to and understanding of agency, full free will, and that he used his will or agency perfectly, making perfect choices without exception. I know he used his agency to surrender his life and take it up again. I believe he did this not only by virtue of his Godly power and supreme will, but as an act of supreme love for me and for all of humanity.
I believe he appeared after his resurrection to people on the earth in and around the place of his mortal ministry, and in other places as well. I believe he appeared to the inhabitants of North America and that the Book of Mormon is an inspired and divinely translated volume of scripture which contains accounts of Christ's appearance to the people of the time. Like the Holy Bible, it contains testimonies of his existence, his love, his power, and of the role he played in the lives of those who knew him and of those who knew of him and believed in him. I believe in him. He is the Messiah.
I believe Jesus performed an atonement; that he miraculously, mysteriously and literally experienced the pain and suffering of every man, woman and child who ever lived on earth; that he absorbed the destructive power of this suffering and that through him every man, woman and child can be healed if they have faith in him and ask it of him. I have been healed of many physical, emotional and spiritual infirmities throughout my life by virtue of his atonement, his grace, and his loving compassion on my behalf. I know he is intimately involved in my life and that he knows me personally.
I believe he has the power to restore us all to wholeness.
Most importantly, I believe through his atonement, his death and resurrection, he transcended all of the painful life-limiting effects of mortality, including sin and death. I believe his atonement effectively cleared the confusion and chaos of mortality and obliterated the long term effects of evil and darkness in the world and in our lives. I believe that through him, I and every one else can transcend both spiritual death which comes from sin, and physical death which comes because we are mortal. I understand that we do this through faith in Jesus Christ and by obeying his doctrine. I know if I am faithful throughout my life to the doctrine of Christ I will be resurrected and will live eternally with him, my heavenly parents and with all others whom I love.
I believe Jesus Christ did what he did because he loves us. I believe love is, in fact, the power by which he has done everything he has ever done. I believe love is the power of God, the power of Christ, that it is an essential element of all life. Love is as real and concrete to me as any physical element; it is essential to physics, mathematics, art, time, space, form and matter and that without it none of us would exist.
I believe the most important work I will ever do in my life is to know and love Jesus Christ and to better love my brothers and sisters in the human family. I believe the scripture in the Holy Bible, Matthew 22:40, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
I believe after death and resurrection that we will all continue to grow, to gain light, love, truth and understanding in increasing measure; that we can do this while enjoying the companionship and company of our eternal family and in so doing we will become more and more like our Savior.
I believe he knows how to love and how to express love in a way that is so unique, so perfect that none other could do what he has done and what he continues to do for us. I believe at some time far in the future we may hope to learn to love and to use the power of love as he does. I love Him. I want to love him more.
Some people might think a blog is not an appropriate place for a personal expression of one's most closely-held beliefs, but I'm not one of those people.
I am not ashamed of the thing I am most grateful for in my life. It is the thing I have always been and always will be most grateful for and I owe a debt to My Savior for this thing, this gift of testimony. I offer this as a token to the One who has given me all and who makes it possible for me to be all that I am.
I love Him. I want to love Him better.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I believe I lived in heaven in spirit form with a heavenly father, heavenly mother and other loved ones before I was created in physical form and born into the earth. I know I made promises and covenants there and that if I am true and faithful to those covenants and promises, I will have the opportunity to return to live with them again.
I believe I was a valiant spirit in heaven and that I was given a choice about my life, about coming to earth and about the circumstances into which I was born. I believe that free will or agency is an eternal law by which the children of God live. I believe that we each make choices about what to do with the lives we are given and that we experience consequences for good and ill based upon our choices and upon other people’s choices. I believe God wants us to be happy and helps us make choices that will lead to our happiness. I believe in The Great Plan of Happiness and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains the greatest amount of knowledge and truth about God's plan for our eternal welfare.
I also believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth; that God continuously reveals His will regarding His children on earth through living prophets. I also believe God reveals to each of us personally, through the Holy Ghost, His will for our individual lives. I believe that other churches or faiths contain truth and light which are beneficial to the human family.
I believe utterly and completely in the central doctrine of this church which is: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have been given and have accepted this gift and I know that the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit influences my life daily.
The testimony I record here, specifically those places where I state that I know certain truths, is a result of the witness of the Holy Spirit. When I say that I know I could just as easily say that I witnessed it with my own eyes, because when the Spirit bears witness of Truth, any truth, it becomes part of my being in a way that is clear and powerful and difficult to put into words.
I know the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct personages who have divinely refined and glorified physical bodies. I believe these three personages are uniquely united in their hearts, minds and will. I desire to be united with them in purpose.
I believe the world is a place of chaos and confusion; that this is a result of the fall of Adam and Eve; that this fall was the first great act of free will on the earth and that it was an act of innocence and courage on the part of our First Parents. I know the fall was essential to the Great Plan of Happiness and I am grateful for the courage of my First Parents in accepting this responsibility.
I know Satan is a real personage of spirit who actively corrupts the works of God where he is able. I believe that because of this, the pathway to heaven and our connection to God is increasingly obscured by distraction and deceit.
I believe Joseph Smith was a humble, human, servant of God who, early in his life, was sensitive to this confusion and felt a call to ask and subsequently to answer a question of faith. I believe the question pressed upon him because God had a mission for him in this world. I feel that the world needed Joseph Smith to ask the question: which of all the churches was true, and when he asked this of God in his prayers, he did so not only for himself, but for the entire human race. I believe his answer was a divine revelation intended not only for himself but for all of humanity.
I believe Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw. I know he was an instrument in restoring the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I believe the revelation he received was part of a divine plan to restore to the earth the essential powers of heaven which were first brought into the earth through Adam and Eve. I believe Christ himself brought this power, priesthood power, (the power to act in the name of God, through the Love of God) with him at the time of his mortal life and that this power, as well as the pure spirit of the Holy Ghost, was later lost from the earth through a lengthy apostasy.
I know Jesus Christ lived and walked upon the earth. I believe Jesus bestowed actual physical/spiritual power from his own body upon his apostles and that some of these very apostles appeared to Joseph Smith for the purpose of restoring this same priesthood to the earth. I believe this priesthood power, the power to act in the name of God, to administer saving ordinances such as baptism and confirmation of the Holy Ghost to the children of God on the earth, is held today by worthy Latter-day Saint men.
The heart of all my beliefs is this: I believe Jesus Christ is God, a divine being of flesh and bones; that he was born of a virgin into a mortal existence with loving mortal parents; that he is singular and unique; the only begotten of the Father.
I believe he not only lived, but he died and was resurrected. I believe he is the only person who has ever inhabited the earth who has had full access to and understanding of agency, full free will, and that he used his will or agency perfectly, making perfect choices without exception. I know he used his agency to surrender his life and take it up again. I believe he did this not only by virtue of his Godly power and supreme will, but as an act of supreme love for me and for all of humanity.
I believe he appeared after his resurrection to people on the earth in and around the place of his mortal ministry, and in other places as well. I believe he appeared to the inhabitants of North America and that the Book of Mormon is an inspired and divinely translated volume of scripture which contains accounts of Christ's appearance to the people of the time. Like the Holy Bible, it contains testimonies of his existence, his love, his power, and of the role he played in the lives of those who knew him and of those who knew of him and believed in him. I believe in him. He is the Messiah.
I believe Jesus performed an atonement; that he miraculously, mysteriously and literally experienced the pain and suffering of every man, woman and child who ever lived on earth; that he absorbed the destructive power of this suffering and that through him every man, woman and child can be healed if they have faith in him and ask it of him. I have been healed of many physical, emotional and spiritual infirmities throughout my life by virtue of his atonement, his grace, and his loving compassion on my behalf. I know he is intimately involved in my life and that he knows me personally.
I believe he has the power to restore us all to wholeness.
Most importantly, I believe through his atonement, his death and resurrection, he transcended all of the painful life-limiting effects of mortality, including sin and death. I believe his atonement effectively cleared the confusion and chaos of mortality and obliterated the long term effects of evil and darkness in the world and in our lives. I believe that through him, I and every one else can transcend both spiritual death which comes from sin, and physical death which comes because we are mortal. I understand that we do this through faith in Jesus Christ and by obeying his doctrine. I know if I am faithful throughout my life to the doctrine of Christ I will be resurrected and will live eternally with him, my heavenly parents and with all others whom I love.
I believe Jesus Christ did what he did because he loves us. I believe love is, in fact, the power by which he has done everything he has ever done. I believe love is the power of God, the power of Christ, that it is an essential element of all life. Love is as real and concrete to me as any physical element; it is essential to physics, mathematics, art, time, space, form and matter and that without it none of us would exist.
I believe the most important work I will ever do in my life is to know and love Jesus Christ and to better love my brothers and sisters in the human family. I believe the scripture in the Holy Bible, Matthew 22:40, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
I believe after death and resurrection that we will all continue to grow, to gain light, love, truth and understanding in increasing measure; that we can do this while enjoying the companionship and company of our eternal family and in so doing we will become more and more like our Savior.
I believe he knows how to love and how to express love in a way that is so unique, so perfect that none other could do what he has done and what he continues to do for us. I believe at some time far in the future we may hope to learn to love and to use the power of love as he does. I love Him. I want to love him more.
