“When you tell {someone} that there are billions of stars in the universe he will believe you but when you tell him three is wet passing on the walls he will touch it to make sure.”
After a recent medical procedure President Uchtdorf tried to speed up his healing process by searching the internet rather than trusting in the truth his doctors had already told him about the healing process.
We don’t need to be more of anything to in order to start to behind the person that God intends if you be.
Not long ago I saw a quote that made me stop and think. It went like this: “Tell a man there are trillions of stars in the universe, and he’ll believe you. Tell him there’s wet paint on the wall, and he’ll touch it just to be sure.”
Aren’t we all a little bit like this?
While that idea is humorous I think it makes sense that we act that way. Very few people have any way to verify the truth of the trillions of stars claim but basically everyone is capable of verifying the wet paint claim. We do, and should, verify those things we have the ability to verify. That helps us know what sources of information are trustworthy.
I decided to expedite the healing process by undertaking my own Internet search. I suppose I expected to discover truth of which my doctors were unaware or had tried to keep from me.
It took me a little while before I realized the irony of what I was doing. Of course, researching things for ourselves is not a bad idea. But I was disregarding truth I could rely on and instead found myself being drawn to the often-outlandish claims of Internet lore.
We only need to test the wet paint claims if we are unsure whether the source of the claim is reliable. We should also be careful of accepting trillions of stars claims from sources that are foreign to us or of dubious credibility.
Profound questions regarding the purpose of life have led many individuals and families throughout the world to search for truth. Often that search has led them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to the restored gospel.
I wonder if we as Church members might also benefit from asking ourselves from time to time: “Is my experience in the Church working for me? Is it bringing me closer to Christ? Is it blessing me and my family with peace and joy as promised in the gospel?”
If the answers to those questions aren’t affirmative we should look at why. It might be because something is out of order or it may be because our expectations are out of sync with the gospel. Finally it may be because we are afflicted by the fallout from the sun of someone else.
Why does it seem to work better for some than for others? What is the difference between those whose experience in the Church fills their souls with songs of redeeming love2 and those who feel that something is lacking?
…are we making our discipleship too complicated?
…start where you are.
Brothers and sisters, if you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane, and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you.
I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become.
God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord.
Our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become. He sees us as His sons and daughters, as beings of eternal light with everlasting potential and with a divine destiny.
Even the lowest kingdom of glory, the telestial kingdom, “surpasses all understanding,” and numberless people will inherit this salvation.
But the Savior’s grace can do much more for us. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we aspire to something unimaginably greater. It is exaltation in the celestial kingdom. It is life eternal in the presence of our Father in Heaven. It is the greatest gift of God. In the celestial kingdom, we receive “of his fulness, and of his glory.” Indeed, all that the Father hath shall be given unto us.
Exaltation is our goal; discipleship is our journey.
As you exercise a little faith and begin your walk as a peaceable follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, your heart will change. Your whole being will be filled with light.
God will help you become something greater than you ever thought possible. And you will discover that the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed working in your life. It works.
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