1 NEPHI 20:16 "Come near unto me; I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time it was declared I have spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me."
I HAVE NOT SPOKEN IN SECRET.
I am seriously IN LOVE with that phrase. He hasn't spoken in secret. This gospel, isn't a secret. And do you know what that means..?
IT'S MEANT TO BE SHARED!
Yep. It's not a secret. He's not trying to hide anything from you, the church isn't trying to hide anything from you. THIS IS IT. God, is your Heavenly FATHER. He's your Father. He loves you more than you could EVER imagine. He sent you down here so that you could go back to Him. He MISSES you. He wants you to come HOME. And it's not like He sent you down here and said, "Well, good luck finding your way home!" No way!! He has a PLAN for us. For ME. For YOU. And He doesn't want to keep that from you! We have the scriptures, we have this gospel, we have the path back home. And that path... It isn't easy. It's straight, and it's narrow, and it's full of more ups and downs than you would ever think possible. But.. at the end of this path, is the most amazing gift that.. that can't even be imagined.
When I was 14, I went to this camp called OAKCREST. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. I apply things I learned there allllllllll of the time. Like right now.
One day, they had all of us stand in a big group and they blindfolded us. They told us that then, we were going on a hike. They gave us strict instructions.
1. Stay here. If you need help, raise your hand.
2. If at any time you get off course in your journey, just raise your hand.
3. Nooooo talking.
And that was it. Complete silence. We're just standing there at the bottom of the hill. I was standing there like, so.... Are we just gonna stand here all day or....? I didn't raise my hand for help. I didn't need help. I was standing at the bottom of a hill. I'm fine.
I felt like I had been standing there foreeeeever. I started hearing people walk past me. What the heck?? They said to stay here you weenies. Then it dawned on me. Hmmm.. Maybe I SHOULD raise my hand.. So, I did. One of the counselors came over to me and whispered, "Okay, I'm going to take you to the hill, all you have to do is walk straight up the path and you'll get to the top. Remember, if you EVER need help, just raise your hand."
Well, okay. Here we go. I started my trek up the hill. How hard could it be to walk in a straight line, right? So I'm just walkin' along, whatever, no big deal, and then I feel a string tied to a tree. SWEET! This is DEFINITELY an analogy to the iron rod. So, I grabbed hold of that little string and started following it. Pretty soon a ran into some really prickly bushes. WHAT THE. Obviously I had gone the wrong way.. I needed help. Up popped my little hand. A counselor came over and whispered to me, "Just follow my voice, and you'll be back on the right path. And remember, if you EVER need help, just raise your hand."
After some time of trying to find my way up the hill, I heard voices singing a hymn. I'm unsure of what it was exactly.. But I have a feeling it was either I am a Child of God, or I Feel My Savior's Love.. ANYWAYS, not important. I started walking closer to the singing, and I had a feeling to take my blindfold off. I took it off to see a bunch of girls sitting at the top of the hill, with a picture of the Savior on a tree. I was told to sit down, say nothing, and join in on the singing until all of the girls had arrived at the top.
It was.. It was so amazing. It made me realize that Christ needs to be our CENTER. I was standing at the bottom, not going anywhere, because I was fine, UNTIL I asked for help. "Is He your steering wheel or your spare tire?" It made me realize that sometimes something may seem really great, but then we end up in a bunch of prickly bushes. It made me realize that the Savior is ALWAYS there. Holding our hand.
He will NEVER let go of us, but we WILL let go of Him. We think that we can do it on our own. That we're fine. We stand at the bottom of the hill. HE IS RIGHT NEXT TO US. As soon as we ask Him, He is RIGHT there! He's never going to leave you. He isn't. He DIED for you. He SUFFERED through ALL of your afflictions, you think He's just gonna say see ya later? Absolutely not. Never ever.
NOTHING about truthfulness is a secret. NOTHING is hidden. THIS IS FOR YOU. Get that? God has a plan for YOU. He has given you scriptures, READ THEM. He has given you wonderful examples in your life, LEARN FROM THEM. He has given you trials, LEARN FROM THEM. He has given you this life, LIVE IT WELL. YOLO, right? You Only Live Once, so don't screw it up. He's given you a Savior, LEAN ON HIM, BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. He's given you agency, CHOOSE WISELY. He's given you EVERYTHING He possibly can. Now it's just up to you to WORK and USE the tools He has given you to get back home. He hasn't made any of this secret. YOU are HIS child. He would never leave you alone. He would NEVER give you something that you couldn't handle. You are SO much stronger than you think you are!! YOU CAN DO IT. You have SO many people rooting for you. You DON'T have to do this alone!
This gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, brings PURE JOY. Our Father wants us to be happy! He's given us THE PLAN OF HAPPINESS. This is real. This is true. I know it. If you don't know it, figure it out. I am where I am because I know these things. Nothing about this church has ever hindered me. I feel HOME. I know that I'm on the right path. I know that I'm going where I'm supposed to be going. Remember, "If you think you can avoid apostasy without reading the scriptures, you are VERY wrong." There are things to help you. Don't forget that. This is real. This is it. We're in the fourth quarter here, and we need to get EVERYONE to come home with us. We don't want to be missing our brothers and sisters when we go home. We don't want out Parents to be sad that we left them behind. Do ALL you can so that you can be strong. Do ALL that you can so that you can gain a testimony, the strongest weapon you can have. Do ALL that you can, so that the light of Christ shines through you. Make sure YOU come home. BRING YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS HOME. We don't have time to waste. Pray. Read the scriptures. Go to church. Do EVERYTHING you possibly can to get as strong as you possible can. "This is not a time for spiritual weaklings". Don't be afraid to ask for help. You have resources for a reason.
I love you. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love my Heavenly Father. I love everything about this gospel.
xoxo, Sarah
It was.. It was so amazing. It made me realize that Christ needs to be our CENTER. I was standing at the bottom, not going anywhere, because I was fine, UNTIL I asked for help. "Is He your steering wheel or your spare tire?" It made me realize that sometimes something may seem really great, but then we end up in a bunch of prickly bushes. It made me realize that the Savior is ALWAYS there. Holding our hand.
He will NEVER let go of us, but we WILL let go of Him. We think that we can do it on our own. That we're fine. We stand at the bottom of the hill. HE IS RIGHT NEXT TO US. As soon as we ask Him, He is RIGHT there! He's never going to leave you. He isn't. He DIED for you. He SUFFERED through ALL of your afflictions, you think He's just gonna say see ya later? Absolutely not. Never ever.
NOTHING about truthfulness is a secret. NOTHING is hidden. THIS IS FOR YOU. Get that? God has a plan for YOU. He has given you scriptures, READ THEM. He has given you wonderful examples in your life, LEARN FROM THEM. He has given you trials, LEARN FROM THEM. He has given you this life, LIVE IT WELL. YOLO, right? You Only Live Once, so don't screw it up. He's given you a Savior, LEAN ON HIM, BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. He's given you agency, CHOOSE WISELY. He's given you EVERYTHING He possibly can. Now it's just up to you to WORK and USE the tools He has given you to get back home. He hasn't made any of this secret. YOU are HIS child. He would never leave you alone. He would NEVER give you something that you couldn't handle. You are SO much stronger than you think you are!! YOU CAN DO IT. You have SO many people rooting for you. You DON'T have to do this alone!
This gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, brings PURE JOY. Our Father wants us to be happy! He's given us THE PLAN OF HAPPINESS. This is real. This is true. I know it. If you don't know it, figure it out. I am where I am because I know these things. Nothing about this church has ever hindered me. I feel HOME. I know that I'm on the right path. I know that I'm going where I'm supposed to be going. Remember, "If you think you can avoid apostasy without reading the scriptures, you are VERY wrong." There are things to help you. Don't forget that. This is real. This is it. We're in the fourth quarter here, and we need to get EVERYONE to come home with us. We don't want to be missing our brothers and sisters when we go home. We don't want out Parents to be sad that we left them behind. Do ALL you can so that you can be strong. Do ALL that you can so that you can gain a testimony, the strongest weapon you can have. Do ALL that you can, so that the light of Christ shines through you. Make sure YOU come home. BRING YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS HOME. We don't have time to waste. Pray. Read the scriptures. Go to church. Do EVERYTHING you possibly can to get as strong as you possible can. "This is not a time for spiritual weaklings". Don't be afraid to ask for help. You have resources for a reason.
I love you. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love my Heavenly Father. I love everything about this gospel.
xoxo, Sarah
No comments :
Post a Comment