~~CHOOSE TO BELIEVE~~

As the young women's president I get a chance to write the Ward newsletter cover page once a year.  I know lucky me.  Haha!! Well September is my month that I get to submit my article.  The topic I chose "Choose to Believe" has heavily been on my mind.  I have heard people (especially youth) say to me more than once what if I don't Believe in the gospel?Should I serve a mission?  So I decided to make my article about that.  I wanted to put it on the blog so my kids will have it and always remember that I have a very strong BELIEF in this gospel and because of it I am a very HAPPY person! I remember our stake president Buie telling us in one of his talks, "You don't have to say you know the Book of Mormon is true you can always say I believe it is true."  That is how I have always been.  I have so much faith that I don't need my own truth.  I do read my scriptures every night but I haven't had that strong conviction that oh man I know without a doubt this is true but I sure have a lot of faith and belief that it is and that's good enough for me! :)

 “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend” (Mosiah 4:9).

Belief and testimony and faith are not passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something we choose.  When we choose to believe, we understand and see things in a different way.  When we see and live that way, we are happy and joyful in a way that only the gospel can bring.  Belief is something we hope for, we work for, and we sacrifice for. We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His Gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to BELIEVE, just like we choose to keep other commandments.   

I have felt the merciful love of the Savior in my life. When my father in-law laid lifeless and there was a very slim chance of survival, we prayed for a miracle and I BELIEVE that our heavenly father listened to us and he answered our prayers and we got our miracle because Roger made a complete recovery.   Driving on the freeway in a snow storm and having Rachel quickly feel that she needed to move out of the front seat not knowing that our car was soon going to go out of control and that we were going to hit the freeway barrier wall, I choose to BELIEVE that was the Holy Ghost that whispered to her and told her to move and that was why she was saved.  When our son Will had a seizure that lasted 30 minutes and was taken by life flight from our neighborhood when he was 18 months old and he made a complete recovery with no lasting side effects, I choose to BELIEVE that our heavenly father sent people there to comfort Mike and I at the hospital and he helped us get through that difficult time.  When I was driving down Parley’s Canyon and had an overwhelming feeling about 8 months before I was called to be the next young women’s president that I would be the one called, I choose to BELIEVE that was the Holy Ghost letting me know so I could prepare myself and be ready to serve.

Make your moments in life become stepping stones to your ultimate goal of having a confidence that this gospel is real.  From my experiences in choosing to BELIEVE my moments in life were sent to me for a purpose, my testimony has strengthened immensely.  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I know that he is the source of light and hope for all of us. I pray that we may all choose to BELIEVE in Him.