2014: Day 9

 Day 9: My beliefs

On my blog and in my life, I am pretty open about what I believe but today, I'd like to share my testimony once again, a little more in depth.

I was born and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I was 8 years old, I made the decision to be baptized and have the Holy Ghost with me at all times.

I struggled in high school and pushed against everything I believed and had been taught because I'm not a person that likes boundaries. 'Immature me' didn't understand why I was counseled not to drink, smoke, have sex before marriage, etc. I felt like I was being confined in a small space and I needed to get out. So I pushed the boundaries as far as I was able to and what did I find at the end of that rainbow?

Well, not a pot of gold, I'll tell ya that much!

I found a lot of heartache, a lot of fake friendships, and a lot of danger.

So now let's talk about 'mature me'. I was about 18.5 when 'mature me' started to surface. Things started to make sense that I hadn't thought of before. The RULES I felt were so bluntly holding me back started to look a lot more like bad decisions and less like fun. I started to realize that I could make any decisions I wanted---no church was forcing me to make those decisions.

The guidelines I once hated are now a part of my life because I believe I am happiest when living them.

At 19, I was engaged to be married. My fiance and I already knew exactly where that wedding would take place.
The Mesa Arizona Temple.
We were married in April of 2007 and I cannot imagine a more perfect place to get married.
So why did we get married in the temple instead of somewhere else?
Because during our wedding in the temple, we were never told "til death do you part". It was a covenant we made to be together forever---for eternity. We were sealed to each other for time and all eternity.
That was an extremely happy day in my life. And I don't feel weird talking about it because of my current circumstances. The temple is sacred and I have a strong testimony in the covenants I made.

I also believe in prophets and apostles. Our church holds a general conference every 6 months and we get to listen to uplifting messages from our prophets and apostles. It isn't a secret. Anyone can listen or attend these meetings. I believe that those prophets and apostles have the ability to speak directly with God and the things they tell us aren't just things they feel like saying---they are things our Heavenly Father needs us to hear.

 I believe in families being together forever. Because of the covenants in the temple, my children are also sealed to me forever. When we die, we will see each other again. We will live together again. Death is not the end.

I believe that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and that he saw God and Jesus Christ. Because of this belief, I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings.

I found this wonderful picture that shows some main "stats" of Mormons.

I live what I believe because it has made me the happiest I've ever been. I have so much faith and know that my life has a specific purpose.

If you'd like to know more about what I believe, please visit www.mormon.org or send me an email. I'd love to share more of my beliefs with any one of you.