A Personal Testimony of Jesus Christ
This is written to myself at various times of my life, and probably in the future as well. I’ve been practicing Christianity in some form or another virtually my entire life but at a certain point a decision was made to continue the faith. That decision is made continually as I’m an adult free of any charges or obligations. I’m a free man, yet I choose to dedicate a lot of my time and attention towards actively developing and practicing faith in Jesus Christ. For a long time, I honestly had no clue what that meant, looked like, or why it was important.
Here’s the gist, as I understand it. I’m here, on Earth, because I wanted to be. I’m a son of a loving Heavenly Father, literally a being with a body like my own, and he wants me to be able to become like him. However, he’s perfect so I literally can never be exactly like him no matter how much I try. That is called “damnation” - a state of being halted in your progress. To save me from my own damnation, a Savior was chosen for the world. He is my brother, Jesus Christ. He willingly came to earth like me, born to a mortal mother but of divine nature. Because of this, he conquered mortal damnation. He lived a perfect life, completely free of sin. But more important than that - he lived the ultimate example to me, so I can learn how to become like our Heavenly Father. My ultimate goal in life is to try to emulate the life and example of Jesus Christ perfectly.
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”1 What does it look like to love the Lord? He told us: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”2 For me personally, the ultimate commandment was given by the Savior at the conclusion of his mortal ministry, recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 13: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”3 Consider for a moment what act of love the Savior would next undertake - he would willingly suffer in Gethsemane as well as on the cross. I am commanded that I should love everyone that much. That is my goal. But it’s hard, it’s hard not to fall short - to be selfish. We all have our appetites and passions. We know who we are but it’s hard to always walk up to that person in every moment. Sometimes you’re tired, hungry, or just plain grumpy.
Before the Savior was crucified, he retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It was here that He felt every feeling you, I, and everyone has ever lived has ever felt or will feel. All the good, and the bad. Those very low places we all end up by our own stupidity or others. Jesus Christ has literally, impossibly, been there. That is my faith and my testimony - that he has. Not only that, but He will show you that you’re not in a bad place at all. You are exactly where he wants you to be, right next to Him.
The Savior suffered for us, but more importantly, he conquered death. Three days after he was buried, he emerged from his tomb as a glorified, perfected, and resurrected being. That’s the ultimate “good news” of the gospel - that death is not the end. Our afflictions are not the end-state, and with the help of Jesus Christ, we can not only overcome them, but conquer them - just as the Savior conquered death. What would it look like if you “conquered” your life’s trials? I believe the Savior helps me conquer challenges I’ve had, currently have, and will have. I hope to be given many opportunities to continue to turn to the Savior and overcome my mortal imperfections. It’s a daily, constant process.
After the Savior was resurrected, he returned to work with our Heavenly Father until His return. However, we’re not left alone. We have been provided the Holy Spirit to help guide and direct us4. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead and because of this, He is perfect and cannot influence me if I am willfully ignoring my Heavenly Father’s commandments. I pray to my Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to forgive me of my countless imperfections and to bless me with His Spirit to guide me continually and help keep me free from error. I also pray that those times that I do make mistakes, I’ll realize them quickly and will turn away from them. For me, it goes deeper than just making mistakes sometimes and asking for forgiveness.
If Heavenly Father wants me to become like him, I need to do exactly that. For me, it’s about understanding my foreordained destiny to become like my Father. Like developing a second-nature. Willfully removing myself from my first-nature, the gut-reactions and quick moments of anger where a word slips out that has long-lasting consequences. It’s about learning to view myself and others through the lens that our Heavenly Father sees them - as His sons and daughters whom He loves. When I have this perspective, my mistakes don’t feel like setbacks as much as oversights. It’s like finishing wood - you must start with a low-grit sandpaper until all of the scratches that are larger than the scratches the sand paper is making are removed. If you move up another grit too quickly you’ll just wear out your sand paper and waste a lot of time. I am buffing out my very soul iteratively. And you know what? Some times I find a pretty deep scratch I didn’t notice before and I have to jump down a few grit levels, sometimes what feels like every single one and go all the way back to the beginning. It’s painful sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. We have our whole lives to get it just right, and my friend and Savior Jesus Christ is there every step of the way, helping me and making up for my imperfections as I continually repent.
I have a strong testimony of sacred words of scripture included in the Holy Bible as well as the words contained in the work translated by Joseph Smith, known as The Book of Mormon. Both records recall the history of the Lord’s sacred work on this Earth among his people. The Bible records the history of the people in the Near East, and The Book of Mormon records the history of the people in the Americas. The crowning event in both records is the Savior’s personal, mortal ministry as a glorified, perfected, and resurrected being. In both cases He physically directly the organization of His church on Earth - including “apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.” He did not leave us comfortless. We have the sacred scriptures that inform how His church should operate.
The best news I can share with you is that the Heavens are open to us again. One morning in the Spring of 1820 Joseph Smith, a young farm boy from upstate New York retreated to the woods near the house where he lived with his family with a heavy heart. He had listened to the preachers and read the Bible and he knew that without a Savior, he was doomed to damnation. He wanted to know if he could be forgiven of his sins, and he worried about his older brother who had died before being baptized. As he knelt to ask God for forgiveness, and for direction on which of the sects he should join, a miracle took place that changed the course of the world forever.
“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Joseph Smith5
That event set in motion an ongoing event - the literal restoration of the fullness of the redemptive Gospel of Jesus Christ. The event is ongoing - I am actively a part of it, I believe this post is a part that I need to play. This is not an easy post to write. I have worked on this harder than any project or post I’ve done on this website. Countless hours I have pondered how I might correctly put into words how I feel, in a place that can feel so hostile. There are a thousand ways to interpret my words, my only hope is that you take them as I write them - with a sincere heart.
I have a deep respect for all my Brothers and Sisters, and have a profound respect for those who keep their own faith. Be they Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Baháʼí, and all the other countless religions that are thriving world-wide. I believe we all keep our own faith - those who minister to family members despite difficulties, to their children, parents, friends. Those we gather with and “bear one another’s burdens”6.
I want you to know that I have a testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The best part about the fullness of the Lord’s Gospel is the doctrine of Eternal Marriage. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I literally believe my wife and I were sealed for time and all eternity by the very authority that Jesus Christ gave to his prophets throughout all time - the Holy Priesthood. The Priesthood is the power and authority to carry out God’s will on Earth. Approaching my relationship with my wife with that perspective has blessed me in innumerable ways. We have been blessed with awesome kids who remind me every day that God does love me and that I really can be like Jesus.
I believe that Russel M. Nelson is the Lord’s chosen prophet on Earth today. What does the Lord want me to know? What does the prophet tell me? In his most recent general address, he told me:
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.
Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity—especially for those who are difficult to love—for charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ. The Savior is the Prince of Peace. We are to be His instruments for peace.7
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”3
If you are interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, there are young people who dedicate a few years of their lives to serve full-time as missionaries to teach people about the Gospel. You can request to meet with the missionaries↗ to learn more. Does it sound a little weird to put your name and phone number in a website? Well, I used to be a missionary, so just imagine this guy is the one that’s going to get your message.
You can also download the Book of Mormon app.↗ The introduction is a great place to start and will give you an overview of what you’re about to get in to.
Finally, I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Please leave a reply and I look forward to hearing what you have to say! If you are a person of faith, feel free to leave you own testimony.