“Do I Believe”
I guess it’s the The Kitch family’s turn to help out with Sacrament Meeting. 🙂 Walker gave a talk in Sacrament on Sunday. Enjoy!
First I would like to talk about Brother O’Loughlin impact on my belief as this is their last week with us in the ward. I have enjoyed having him as a leader in the teachers quorum. He has taught me probably more than he knows. He is a great example in his testimony and has given some of my favorite lessons I have listened to. He has had an extremely positive effect on me and I love him all the more for it.
Today, however, I have been asked to give a talk on the General Conference talk by Bonnie L Oscarson “Do I Believe.”
One of the first things brought up is the difference between knowing and believing. I feel that many people in the church and to some degree those outside of it know the message of the gospel. But knowing isn’t enough on it’s own. It’s a logical thing that can be dismissed. Belief and faith however is internal and taking that knowledge accepting it and making it a lifestyle and a part of you. So without knowledge you can’t have belief but you can have knowledge without belief. Belief is the extra step required of us. It is something you have to work to grow, expand and make ever stronger. It is directly tied into your testimony. It’s accepting that the knowledge is true. She talks about how many great and powerful things we claim such as prophets and their power, the priesthood and eternal life. These are things we need to know and understand that we are accepting when we decide if we truly believe.
Sometimes you’ll see people become complacent and content in just the knowledge and take it for granted. They don’t put in the work required to have a full belief and testimony of the gospel. If you are currently unsure of anything there is no need to worry most of us are and that is where you build your belief.
All of these things I have talked about make this talk seem quite similar to that of my Dad’s recent talk except he has more first hand experience with everything that I am talking about he went through the motions as he said but eventually he came to the true belief and faith that he has today.
She also explains that We believe that this Church is more than just a good place to go on Sundays and learn how to be a good person. It is more than just a lovely Christian social club where we can associate with people of good moral standing. It is not just a great set of ideas that parents can teach their children at home so they will be responsible, nice people. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is infinitely more than all of these things. Our church and our membership thereof means more than just what we do on Sundays. It should define us as a person and in a positive way. As such we should exemplify our knowledge and belief in our church and not sully its name.
She closes talking about the youth and the challenges we face. She says the ever-present influence of the “great and spacious building” in our lives is what hits us the hardest. And this seems to be true. Because that building is able to take those who have even already partaken of the fruit as the people inside harass and make fun of them. If we don’t have a strong enough set of beliefs that we can cling to and ignore those that try and make us question and reject those beliefs then we too can join them in that great and spacious building. And that is completely up to the individual. Friends and family can only get you so far the actual decision and work has to be done by the individual.
Do I believe? Yes I do. I have a testimony that this church is the true church and that our prophet and apostles are called of God, the priesthood has power to do God’s will, and repentance is possible. That is what I believe. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
