My Sacrament Talk from 2013

I've spoken in sacrament twice in my adult life.  I'm not talented at public speaking and I am terrified every time I have to do it.  I came across my last talk as I was cleaning out my bedroom.  It felt sad that I wouldn't have a copy of this in the future, so I thought I would share my studies, and talk on my blog: 

I was baptized at 8 years old into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and later felt converted at 19 after a lot of personal study and discussions with my family and friends.  I’ve looked into many religions and nothing felt right.  A friend personally challenged me to read the BOM, I told her that I grew up in a LDS home and there were many opportunities for me to feel it was true, but I hadn’t.  She asked me if I ever read the BOM on my own- I hadn’t. I promised her I would read it and I told her I’d let her know if I found it to be true.  She asked me to tell her when, not if.  Through sincere personal study and in small and simple ways, I have my answer that there is a God, he hears my prayers and that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

 Both of my parents were converted and baptized by missionaries. Granny, my mother’s mother was listening to a preacher on the radio in her attic, at a humbling point in her life she kneeled down and asked God to send her a witness of his church.  LDS Missionaries that were tracking, going door to door knocked on hers during her prayer.  She and my mother, a teenager at that time were converted and baptized.  My father was converted after he was married to my mother.  He went to church with her a few times and my mother introduced him to a missionary couple whom were serving in the stake.  He was converted easily and willingly through the missionary discussions. In my entire life I have never seen my father or mother waiver in their testimony that this church is true.

I have been blessed with wonderful and strong religious examples in my life; however that hasn’t made my own testimony and conversion in this church easier.  As I have grown older I have realized that my parents did not just receive confirmation of this gospel and then simply stay active as a result of a one-time testimony.  In my own membership and conversion in the church I now understand that my parents have personally studied this gospel, they have each made sacred and meaningful covenants with our Heavenly Father, they have both use the Savior’s example to mold their own lives, and they continuously build and strengthen their testimonies.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about conversion and testimony of this gospel.  In study, I read the following

 By Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.

We need the gospel and the Church. In fact, the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel. We often wonder: How can someone be fully active in the Church as a youth and then not be when they are older? How can an adult who has regularly attended and served, stop coming? How can a person who was disappointed by a leader or another member allow that to end their Church participation? Perhaps the reason is they were not sufficiently converted to the gospel—the things of eternity.

In the BOM 2 Nephi 31:19 he writes, “After ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?  Behold, I say unto you, Nay”

The journey of conversion goes long after baptism and goes deeper than attending meetings.

What are the things of Eternity that will anchor us in this gospel?

Brother Brad Wilcox answered this to me by stating, “True conversion depends on obtaining an accurate view of life, the plan of salvation, God’s love, and Christ’s Atonement.  But it also depends on living in accordance with that knowledge in public and in private.  And when behavior lags behind beliefs, conversion means experiencing for ourselves how Christ’s strength is perfect in our weakness enabling us to “continue in patience until we are perfected”.  Sometimes finding hope and motivation to keep moving forward in this conversion process is as simple as going back to core doctrines and refocusing on them through new eyes.  Doctrine offers a firmer foundation than popular thinking or good advice.  Clear doctrine can help us identify and categorize problems.  More important it can be a tool to help us predict, avoid and solve them.”

The end goal is not to be baptized, go to the temple, and make it to the celestial kingdom; those are means to the end.  I believe that if we only focus on the steps, not the actions or the heart we put behind them, we will lose sight of what is ultimately important.  Our ultimate goal is to become like Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

David O. McKay said, “The true end of life is not mere existence, not pleasure, not fame, not wealth.  The true purpose of life is the perfection of humanity.”

In the book, The Continuous Conversion, Brad Wilcox gives 6 key points to help ourselves find this end.

The first is to OBEY 
This key point is the straight and narrow path.

We cannot outgrow the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; we can only grow in it.  Because I am imperfect, there have unfortunately been times that I’ve looked for an easier route.  I have looked for shortcuts and lazy ways out of being obedient.  I tell you today that there are none. 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson has said, “Sadly, much of modern Christianity does not acknowledge that God makes any real demands on those who believe in him. 

God requires our obedience, sacrifice, and commitment to live the gospel.  He calls for self-control, self-discipline, best efforts and hard work.  He wants our time, talents, and treasure. There is a list that Latter-day Saints are required to fulfill. We have been given these guidelines in the scriptures, general conference, church meetings, strength of youth pamphlets, personal revelation and the words of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “While understanding the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the ‘why’”

The question is not if God requires something from us or even if He should require something.  The question is “WHY”.

Which brings me to the second key, LEARN.

In Doctrine and Covenants 78:8 we find the words, “ For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world you must prepare yourselves by doing the things with I have commanded you and required of you.”

Brother Wilcox gives some perspective on this key, he said, “Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child.  Mom pays the piano teacher and because she pays that debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for practice.  Does the child’s practice help pay the piano teacher? No. Does his practice repay mom for paying the teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for mom.  Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used-seeing her child improve.  And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.

If the child sees mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing, maybe it is because he doesn’t yet see with mom’s eyes. 

In the same way, because Jesus has paid for the price of justice he can now turn to us and say follow me, keep my commandments.  If we see his requirements as being too much, maybe it is because we do not yet see through Christ’s eyes.

"A God who asks nothing of us is making nothing of us and that is not the case."

 

To paraphrase Charles F. Stanley, from Blessings of Brokenness, “In this symphony that is my life; God is not content to be a member of the audience or stage crew.  He is not even content to be the conductor.  He wants to be the composer.”

Imperfectly, but surely, we are practicing to live with our HF and our Savior once again.

The third key is CHANGE

God desires us to obey and learn so that we can make positive changes over time.  Referring to an explanation given by Dallin H. Oaks, he said, “the repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment.  Its purpose is change.”

If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change.  Think of friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance.  They do not want change.  They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God.  Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin.  If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the HG, then we would have no way to change.  .  We would have no access to God’s power.  We would be left forever with only willpower.

If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then we would not internalize those changes over time.  We may change on the surface but they would not sink inside us and become a part of who we are.

Brother Wilcox shared in his book, “The older I get and the more I understand God’s wonderful plan of redemption the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus to let him stay.  No.  He will probably be demanding, “get me out of here”.  Knowing Christ’s character, I believe if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it will probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, “please choose to stay. Please use my Atonement-not just to be cleansed so you can qualify to stay, but to be changed so you desire to stay.”

Heaven will not be heaven for those who have not chosen to become heavenly.

Elder James E. Talmage said, “Any man may enter the highest degree of the celestial kingdom when his actions have been such that he can feel at home there.”

 IMPROVE and OVERCOME are keys 4 and 5

When the Savior healed the 10 lepers all of them were changed, however only 1 returned to thank the source of that blessing.  The 1 was made whole because not only did he change but he improved by turning to Christ.

We don’t pray because we’re worthy.  We pray because we need help. 

We don’t take the sacrament because we are perfect, but because we are willing to be perfected. 

We don’t go to the temple because we’ve made it, but because God is making us better there. 

We are not earning a treasure in heaven, but learning to treasure heavenly things. 

On the final page of the BOM we read the invitation to come unto Christ and be perfected in him.  This life is about becoming better.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen has taught that the Atonement is not just a doctrine that erases black marks.  It is fundamentally a doctrine of human development.

 The final key is BECOME

Learning and changing isn’t easy, when I feel overwhelmed in these areas I try to remember the times that I have succeeded and the moments I have seen Heavenly Father’s tender mercies touch my life.  I have to remind myself frequently to keep an eternal perspective.  I pray that I can become more like my Heavenly Father and my Redeemer Jesus Christ, that one day I can see things clearly and more so as they see. 

Real conversion happens when we stop placing so much importance on the habits in church and we start focusing on the reasons of this Gospel.  Conversion happens when we focus on living in ways that follow the example of the Savior.  Conversion happens when we allow change into our lives to purify and correct us. 

Today I’d like to challenge all of us to ponder the ways we can become more Heavenly, and then work on setting those ideas into motion.  I know that Heavenly Father has given us the keys to succeed and become more like him.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the living Redeemer. Through the Atonement, the Savior has provided a way for us to return to our HF changed and improved.  I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true Gospel of our Heavenly Father; that it can give us all we need to return to him one day.