It's TOO GOOD not to be

This gospel, this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is TRUE. It is. I have no doubt in my mind that this is the one and only true church on this earth. I KNOW IT. It has to be. It's too good not to be.

I just wanna make sure you all know this.. I have not always thought this. I have not always thought that this is true, that everything that I'm doing is right. I haven't. Honestly, this is the strongest my testimony has EVER been. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

7th grade. Super fun for everyone, right? Haha. So, that year, my best friend moved an hour away from me in the middle of the year. I had no one else. My brother got home from his mission, and it had sort of been a family goal that when he got home, he was going to convert my dad, and then we were all going to get sealed in the temple. Instead, that summer, my parents got divorced. Time went on, and my middle brother fell away from the church. As more time progressed, another friendship went down the drain. Basically.. I was just feeling so.. Lost. I don't really know how to explain this. I hadn't felt the spirit in a really long time, and I remember just not really caring. I didn't know what was wrong, and I didn't really do anything to fix whatever might have been wrong. I remember sitting in seminary last year, not really wanting to be there, and just.. Doubting everything that I had ever learned about this gospel. And then Brother Shields said, "Ya know, I always have kids come up to me and say, 'Man, I just don't know if I believe all of this' and I always say, 'Have you read the Book of Mormon?' and they say no. How can you say you don't believe something you've never tried??" HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU DON'T BELIEVE SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER TRIED?

Faaaaaast forward.

The end of February, start of March-ish, I decided I was going to serve a mission.

April 8th, I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time in my life.

My testimony has grown SO much in such a short amount of time. I can honestly say, I KNOW these things are true. You can't read the Book of Mormon, and not believe that it's God's words. This is the HAPPIEST I have ever been. I know who I am, and I know whose I am. This is REAL.

I've been to other churches with my friends, and there's something missing. I'm not saying that they don't teach great things, I love my friend's pastor, but there is something MISSING.

THIS, is true. What I am a part of, is TRUE. God is REAL. His light, is REAL. This is the best thing that could ever happen to anyone. YOU are a child of God. Do you realize that?? YOU are the child of a KING. YOU ARE ROYAL. You are down here, because you chose to be. You are down here at this time, because this is when God needs you. You have divine potential. 

This gospel is not easy. Let me say that again so I'm sure you understand, THIS IS NOT EASY. Life, is not easy. Of course this isn't. What would be the point of all of this if it was just a walk in the park? We were sent down here to prove ourselves. We were sent down here so that we could return back to our Heavenly Father. God will NEVER give you something that you can't handle. You're stronger than you think. He TRUSTS you. The king of all of the universe, trusts YOU. He LOVES you. He KNOWS you can do it. You may not believe in God, but HE BELIEVES IN YOU. 

This is just a test. It's gonna be over one day, and if we do the absolute best that we can, all the pain that we've gone through here, will be more than worth it. We need trials. Cliche, right? But we do. Through pain and sorrow we can know pure joy. And that's what Heavenly Father and Christ want for us. He didn't send us down here to have a miserable time. Christ didn't suffer for us for no reason. He did it so that we can be HAPPY. And I am. I'M HAPPY, because I've put my trust in Him. I've put everything on Him, so that He can help me through all of this.

Lean on Christ. He wants to help. Just ask. He's always there. ALWAYS. I know it. Build a relationship with Him, He's your brother. Build a relationship with your Heavenly Father, He's your dad. They love you more than you could ever understand. They truly want the best for you. LET THEM BE IN YOUR LIFE. Everything is so much better when you know that you are making them proud. When you know that they are smiling down on you. "In the scriptures, all of the rewards, and all of the promises, and blessings, are written in past-tense. 'Prepared'. They're already created, they're already there for us. They're already there for YOU."-- Al Fox. Let the blessings that are already there for you, be yours. Live worthy of receiving them. 

THIS IS TRUE. I know it. 

xoxo, Sarah