Have you ever had a moment where you really felt God's love for you and you really knew that you were His child?
I had one of those moments a few days ago.
I had a rough day. I was feeling alone, sad, and super inadequate in my calling as a missionary. It was one of those times that I wondered if I was even making a difference. I went into the bathroom and got on my knees. My Heavenly Father and I had a long conversation. I poured out my heart to Him. I told Him exactly how I felt. I told Him I felt alone. I told Him I was having a bad day. I told Him that being a missionary was hard. I made some promises with Him that I would do better. I begged for His help. His spirit, and His guidance throughout the rest of the day.
As I got up off the floor, and began to fix my make-up, the words to a song I haven't even thought of for years came into my head.
Walk tall, you’re a daughter, a child of God. Be strong—please remember who you are. Try to understand, You’re part of My great plan. I'm closer than you know—reach up, I'll take your hand.
In that moment, I could not deny that my Heavenly Father was aware of me. I could not deny that He loved me. I felt Him close by, and I knew that I could do it. I knew that all of my problems weren't solved, but WITH Him, all things were possible. I knew that I was His daughter.
Why does it even matter? Why is it SO important that it is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
In the Book of Mormon, in Alma 32:21, it says,
"And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
How can we have faith in things that we can't see, and yet know that they are true?
I don't know a lot of things, but I know the important things. For example, I can't see God, I never have, but I know He is there. I know He answers my prayers. I never met Joseph Smith, but I know he was a prophet. I didn't live during the time of Jesus Christ. I didn't get to touch the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet. I didn't see Him suffer in the Garden of Gethsemene, but I KNOW that He died for me! I KNOW that He lives! I didn't hear Alma the Younger's conversion story or hear Samuel the Lamanite prophecy of Christ's coming, but I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it is a book written by God's prophets, and not just a good story. It is another testament of Jesus Christ.
Is that faith? Absolutely!
Did I always know these things? No way!
The prophet Alma compared the word of God to a seed that must be nurtured by faith:
"27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith?"
Faith is a choice. Faith is action. Just like Alma said, we need to awake, arouse, experiment, exercise, desire, work, and plant- all of which are action words!
"Yes, faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. Thus, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.So I say, choose faith!Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and unseen, and choose faith over pessimism. (Faith-The Choice is Yours, Bishop Richard C. Edgely, November 2010)"
