It's always your choice.

This year we are focusing on The Book of Mormon. I'm so excited! I love that book!! I know that it is true. If you want to know if it is true, then you should read it and pray about it. Pray about it a lot. It might take a couple of days or even weeks (because God's timing is different than ours) but the Spirit will testify to you that it is true. Only you can learn for yourself if the things of God are true.

In Gospel Doctrine, we talked about how "faith precedes the miracle". Seeing is not believing, someone said, because Laman and Lemuel saw an angel at the same time as Nephi and Sam, and yet, in the end, Laman and Lemuel lost their faith. Nephi desired to see the vision that Lehi had seen, and because his heart and desire was righteous, he was able to see the vision that his father had seen, and he was able to come to understand it.

In Relief Society, Jillian gave the lesson on prayer, which was so great and definitely inspired because I needed the lesson today (I'm trying to get back into the groove of scripture study and prayer and I'm not going to lie–it's a little hard. All of my homework this semester is reading, and not just one chapter or half a chapter. For two of my classes, we have to read giant chunks of reading, one of them due every class period, and the other due ever other Friday, I think. Anyway, it's been difficult to find time for everything. Even if I read all of my assignments for my classes for two hours, that's EIGHT HOURS! That's insane!! I just need to divide my time better. I'm still working on that. Anyway, so finding time for scripture study is a little hard. I'm going to try something different this week and we'll see if it works). Megan commented something that I've heard before but this time it really stuck with me. "If it's important to you, then it's important to Him." Heavenly Father knows all, but He still wants us to pray to Him! Tell Him about your day–tell Him about your worries, and your struggles–because He wants to hear from you. He wants to bless you–ask Him for help, and for blessings. He wants to have that relationship with you, but He can't do that if you don't do your part.

In sacrament meeting today, Paige said that you have to put "time and effort" into the scriptures/Book of Mormon". Honestly, they are just sitting there, waiting for you to open them. This same principle applies to your relationship with God. He is waiting for you to come to Him. He invites us to "come unto Him". You have to do your part. Also in sacrament meeting, Jared quoted Elder Neil L. Andersen: "Your faith will grow not by chance but by choice." This applies to your relationship with God, as well. You have to consciously make the decision to get closer to Him.

Every part of the Gospel and the Church is your choice. No one can gain a testimony for you. No one can develop your relationship with God for you. Only you can gain (or lose) your testimony, and only you can develop (or repress) your relationship with your Heavenly Father and your Savior. It is always your choice, whatever way you decide to go.

When we went to the temple on Friday night, after we had done baptisms, we sat in the chapel and read the scriptures for a few minutes before we decided to head back. I was trying to find something–anything–that would help me with a question that I had. I randomly came upon Mosiah 16. This chapter in general stood out to me, but several verses in particular hit home, a few of which I will share:

7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

I don't know why these ones stood out to me, but they did. Because of Christ, we can live forever. I guess I just needed the reminder that yes, people die, but because of Christ, we will be resurrected and we can live forever. So I need to try my hardest to be the best I can be. Yes, it will be hard, and yes, it has been hard, but I am not alone because Christ is always with me, and it will all be worth it in the end.

Just remember that it is your choice, not anyone else's. No one can force you to gain that testimony or relationship with God. If it comes to you, then it is because you realized for yourself that it is true.