faith.

I am just going to be completely honest and upfront. Believe it or not, faith is probably one of the most challenging characteristics of Christ for me to strive to improve. I believe He lived. I believe that He is the son of Heavenly Father. I believe He died for all mankind to be saved through His atonement. I don’t doubt His existence. The hardest part for me has been personalizing Him in my life and coming to a sure knowledge that His atonement is for me. Me, specifically. Sometimes I forget that even if I was the only person on Earth, He would still go through all that He went through to save me. I learned this a couple months ago when I was preparing to submit my mission papers. I was so excited to finish my last bishop’s interview before sending the papers in. I remember the night before I was going to submit them, I had a sudden feeling of fear and unworthiness. Satan grasped me tight and tried to convince me that I should feel ashamed in the sight of God and that I would never measure up to being a “good missionary”, so there was no point of going. I felt completely torn apart even though I knew for a fact that those feelings would never come from God. It can be hard at times for us as imperfect beings to comprehend and know for a surety that He doesn’t look at us differently when we mess up. He doesn’t give up on us even when we give up on ourselves. He is patiently waiting for us to accept Him as our Savior because He has already felt our pain. He knows how hard it is to lose loved ones, to make big and uncomfortable changes in life, to take big steps of faith without knowing where it will take you, to learn a language that seems impossible at times, even just to love and have patience with people that may be difficult to understand. He has directed and put us in places in our lives because He has faith in us that we will make a difference. He wouldn’t put us here if He wasn’t willing to carry us the whole way. One of my fellow missionaries posted an original song on Facebook that was so touching. Her lyrics were, “It’s hard when the only one that you’re living for is someone you can’t see.” The concept of having faith is not just a one way expectation of invisible commitment. It is a two way bond of trust that leads to unforgettable miracles. We put our trust in Him to bring us out of our personal darkness and pick us up when we fall as He puts His trust in us to serve others and share His light with the world. I believe nearly the whole concept of faith in Christ comes through remembering. We must remember who we are, whose we are, where we came from, and why we are choosing to be here on Earth. Each week we renew our covenants to “always remember Him”. Always. Remember. Him. Remember who He is as a divine and incredible being. Remember what He has done for you individually. Remember the ways you feel His love. Remember your unique purpose in carrying the light of Christ. Then ask yourself: “Have I received Christ in me? Do I see Him in me? Do others see His light in me?” You are a significant part of His purpose on this Earth, so make Him your central purpose. As you strive to strengthen your faith and belief in Him, know that He will always believe in you.

Alma 32:21-And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

Liebe, Sister Parker