Truths that Keep me Firm from Employee Association email 10/7/2022

Many mornings I wake up and think, "Oh, this is what the last days look like!" My reflection has caused me to ask myself, "How can I stay strong in these last days?" As I thought about my testimony, I identified what I will call, "Truths that Keep Me Firm." As a prerequisite to these truths, I must acknowledge that the Holy Ghost has borne witness to my soul that the Book of Mormon is true and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Kingdom of God on Earth. I also have ancestors who have borne testimonies of the Savior and His Church. To walk away from the Church, I would have to deny those deep-rooted experiences and the testimonies of many ancestors. Those tender experiences and feelings with the Holy Ghost create a foundation for the following “Truths that Keep Me Firm.” Truth No. 1 We all have been given the "light of Christ" or a conscience. “And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world.” When I was four or five years old, I remember my mother asking me whether or not I had done something. As I told my first fib, I remember my lips quivering and feeling guilty. I remember later thinking that if I did not have the light of Christ, that reaction and feeling would not have happened. Telling the truth or telling a lie would simply be neutral. Truth No. 2 We lived as spirits in a preexistence. “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee.” Knowing I am a literal spirit child of loving Heavenly Parents is a truth that rings deep in my soul. Truth No. 3 God has a plan for me. “For behold, this is my work and glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Knowing this truth brings comfort and purpose to me every day. Truth No. 4 Families can be sealed together forever. Heaven would not be heaven without my eternal sweetheart and family. I believe that salvation and eternal life, although individually earned, would not be complete unless shared with loved ones. Truth No. 5 “God created man in his own image” and, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.” This truth makes my relationship with Him and my prayers and gratitude more personal and meaningful.