Choose to Believe

Learning from Conference

I read one of the most awesome talks in the last April conference.  I thought about writing the general authority and thanking him personally for the talk; however, I'm sure with a church of 15 million members that last thing he needs is a flood of email.  So with that thought in mind I am going to share this blog with the whole world.  I just read back through all the previous post and other than some grammar errors, I don't see anything I could not share with the world, so here goes:

Choose to Believe

By Elder L. Whitney Clayton
Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Brother Clayton starts with a story of 7 year old Sailor who crashed with her family in the hills of Kentucky.  She alone survived and in the dark made a difficult journey toward a light she saw and received help.  He then liken her ordeal to the struggles that all of us face in life.

"But all of us will, at some time or another, have to traverse our own spiritual wilderness and undertake our own rugged emotional journeys. In those moments, however dark or seemingly hopeless they may be, if we search for it, there will always be a spiritual light that beckons to us, giving us the hope of rescue and relief. That light shines from the Savior of all mankind, who is the Light of the World."

I feel like this is true.  I believe that everyone, no matter who they are, has their own personal Gethsemanes.  How many people end their lives in despair because of the sorrow and despair that they feel?  How many times have I felt like there is no light at the end of the tunnel?  What can the world offer to those in such sorrow and despair?  Nothing.  Only God and His son Jesus Christ can offer something that is truly meaningful.  Only They can provide the comfort and solace which is so desperately need.

"Perceiving spiritual light is different from seeing physical light. Recognizing the Savior’s spiritual light begins with our willingness to believe. God requires that initially we at least desire to believe..."

I know this might seem like explaining the obvious, but this make things so much clear to me.  Everything starts with a particle of faith or at least a desire to believe.

"
Alma’s call for us to desire to believe and to “give place” in our hearts for the Savior’s words reminds us that belief and faith require our personal choice and action. We must “awake and arouse [our] faculties.” We ask before it is given unto us; we seek before we find; we knock before it is opened unto us. We are then given this promise: “For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”
"
It all starts with the "particle of faith" (Alma 32:27) which moves us to personal choice and action which give place for the Savior's words in our hearts.  This is why so many of the world know nothing of these things, they are not willing to pay these price to enjoy the harvest.  But those who are willing to pay the price can enjoy the harvest and hear the music of the gospel (see The Music of the Gospel).  What we do will seem crazy to those who don't hear the music, but to those of us who hear the music, it makes perfect sense.

"Every day each of us faces a test. It is the test of our lifetimes: will we choose to believe in Him and allow the light of His gospel to grow within us, or will we refuse to believe and insist on traveling alone in the dark? The Savior provides His gospel as a light to guide those who choose to believe in and follow Him."

"There may be times when we have been hurt, when we are tired, and when our lives seem dark and cold. There may be times when we cannot see any light on the horizon, and we may feel like giving up. If we are willing to believe, if we desire to believe, if we choose to believe, then the Savior’s teachings and example will show us the pathway forward."

I fear that I have spent too much of my life traveling alone in the dark.  I am so grateful to the Savior who has through His sacrifice and grace provides and is rescuing me from my darkness as I choose to put Him first and let the other things of life fall into their proper place (see The Great Commandment—Love the Lord).

"Just as Sailor had to believe that she would find safety in that distant light, so we too must choose to open our hearts to the divine reality of the Savior—to His eternal light and His healing mercy. Prophets across the ages have encouraged us and even implored us to believe in Christ. Their exhortations reflect a fundamental fact: God does not force us to believe. Instead He invites us to believe by sending living prophets and apostles to teach us, by providing scriptures, and by beckoning to us through His Spirit. We are the ones who must choose to embrace those spiritual invitations, electing to see with inward eyes the spiritual light with which He calls us. The decision to believe is the most important choice we ever make. It shapes all our other decisions."

"God does not compel us to believe any more than He compels us to keep any commandments, despite His perfect desire to bless us..."

"Belief and testimony and faith are not passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something we choose—we hope for it, we work for it, and we sacrifice for it. We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to believe, just like we choose to keep other commandments."

This principle is so simple and clear, I am amazed that this is such a revelation to me.  I choose to believe.  It is not something that just happens; it is an active choose that I must make each day.  This is something that is so simple like the gospel (see The Simplicity of Gospel Truths).  {I remember this quote coming from President Kimball, but I could not find him saying it or quoting it.}

"We likewise must give place for the hope that we will find spiritual light by embracing belief rather than choosing to doubt. Our actions are the evidence of our belief and become the substance of our faith. We are choosing to believe when we pray and when we read the scriptures. We are choosing to believe when we fast, when we keep the Sabbath day holy, and when we worship in the temple. We are choosing to believe when we are baptized and when we partake of the sacrament. We are choosing to believe when we repent and seek divine forgiveness and healing love."

I feel like so many times in my life that I have chosen to doubt rather than believe.  I think that doubt is easy, but choosing to believe and exercise faith in the dark times of life takes great effort.

It is late and time for me to get to bed.  I would recommend that whole talk for serious and prayerful study, especially if this is one of those times when your life seems filled with darkness or perhaps it is not progressing as you might hope.