One of the things I have always been baffled about is how many people don't think that science and faith can flow together, well I must make the audacious statement that I believe that they are wrong, and I will tell you why. In the Book of Mormon there is a scripture that says "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44) If "everything denotes there is a supreme creator" then I am going to use a physical scientific fact to represent a wonderful spiritual truth.
When I was in chemistry in high school I remember learning about catalysts, a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. So the chemical change could perhaps happen without the catalyst it's true, but the reaction would be far slower and less complete without said catalyst. Follow me if you will to the spiritual truth that this represents for us. Repentance is a scary word to many, but I would like to bring it to a more hopeful light, repentance is the catalyst for our spiritual progression and mental and spiritual healing, yes we could perhaps forget the hurt and sorrow that our sins bring us as time goes on, but the residual effects of that sin will always be there, but through faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance we are boosted into a completely different realm of happiness that we could never have imagined. Repentance is our catalyst to true joy.
This brings me to my next story of becoming....
Meet Gwen, she is an amazing daughter of God and through coming to know her and where she came from I am amazed at the eternal potential she has found and shares every day with those around her, she is an amazing example of the believers and she took a long road to get there, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to cross her path and feel of her amazing love and strength.
Gwen's Story of Becoming
It all started with one of the greatest childhoods to be known. I lived in a world that I had created full of dinosaurs, gnomes, fairies and Disney characters. I had at least 4 imaginary friends, all being animals, and I always had a sibling to take part in any grand adventure that came to my mind. I had a father who worked hard to take care of our family. I had a mother who never showed me anything but love and always knew how to keep us happy and feed my imagination. I was raised to believe and feel that I was a child of God and had great worth. I grew up joyfully singing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam." I lived in my own world where I was a hero and I was special until I reached middle school....that's when I started to see the world around me and myself in a different way. Through middle school and high school I had many disheartening experiences with my peers. Through the way I was treated, I began to believe less and less in my worth and began to believe more and more in the negative things that people would say about me. Throughout high school I would come to school in the most random outfits- each one depicting a different decade or genre- I did this in part because I'm naturally a pretty eclectic person, but I also had no idea who I was or who I wanted to be and it not only showed in the things I would wear but, also the people I would spend time with or the things I would do. Near the end of high school I began to take part in activities that were contrary to the things I learned as a child in church and in my home. As I grew, this only became more and more apparent in my young adult life. Nothing I did or said showed the world or myself that I was truly a daughter of God. I made a lot of decisions during those times that brought my family, those around me, and myself a lot of heartache. I had completely lost a sense of who I was and of who God was. Without a testimony of God, I spent a lot of years depending on substances and other poisoning sources for strength and peace. I was never able to find anything or anyone that could offer me the happiness and peace of mind that I was so desperately searching for. It wasn't until a trip to New York City filled with indescribable experiences that my heart began to be softened and I began to feel like there really was someone watching out for me and that they were trying to tell me something. I returned home feeling ready to come back to the God that I knew as a child. Although my efforts to do so were sincere, my heart was not truly broken and truly contrite and I again slipped into old habits and my comfortable way of living. Finally, I got to a point in my life where I felt cornered by everything and everyone I thought I loved and trusted. I had reached my rock bottom and felt like there wasn't a person in the world I could call to carry me out of the hole I had dug myself into. It was during this time that I learned what true prayer was. Through humble and inexperienced prayers, I began to understand who God was once again. I began to feel like I was truly His daughter and that He loved me. As I came to Him with a broken heart, He taught me how to make it whole again through my Savior, Jesus Christ. This was a life changing experience for me. Through the beautiful process of repentance, I finally came to know and understand what it means to have a Savior. I came to know who Jesus Christ is to me personally. I learned that Christ will always be there to carry us out of our darkest places and our holes, no matter how deep. Since that pivotal point in my life, I have still experienced heartache and trials, but now I have the strength and hope needed through my Savior and Heavenly Father's love. I understand my purpose as a daughter of God and I have received so much direction in my life.
My life has completely turned around to a bright path that I never could have imagined. God led me to serve a mission and I was apprehensive and afraid when I first felt prompted to go but my mission meant everything to me. I feel like my mission was a way to make up for lost time with my Savior and to show Him how grateful I am for all that He has done and continues to do for me. One huge blessing that has come from my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is direction and inspiration. I finally have dreams, goals and aspirations! I have come to understand more about the unique gifts and talents that Heavenly Father has given me and how He wants me to use them. I truly believe now that I can do anything with God on my side. The biggest dream that I've gained from the gospel though, is my dream to return to the arms of my Heavenly Father someday. This has added more meaning to my life than I could ever try and put into words. My journey so far has brought me peace, joy, purpose and direction. I still have a lot of life to live and I look forward to what may come and who I will continue to become the rest of the way!
God will never leave us, he has always given us a chance to return to him and there is no such thing as too far gone! I like to say that "Joy is the eternal state of the soul," there may be things that bring us happiness for a time, but repentance, and turning to Jesus Christ is the only thing that can bring us that pure joy that so many people are seeking.
"Lead yourself. If you must follow someone, follow the genuinely joyful. Joy is evidence that something is working." Eileen Lighthawk
No comments:
Post a Comment