Building Upon a Rock

I read an article in the Ensign today by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy that had to do with our spiritual foundation.  His article began by talking about the foundation of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple and how the “concrete footings and foundations [of the temple are] tied to ... granite bedrock with rock anchors to resist even torrential wind and powerful groundwater. The anchors were drilled 50 to 175 feet (15 to 53 m) into the granite and tensioned at 250,000 pounds per square inch (17,577 kg per square cm). The anchors are spaced 15 feet (4.5 m) apart in both directions” (Ensign, Apr. 2016, 58).  He then goes on to talk about how important it is to build our spiritual foundation on the Savior that is as solid as that for the temple in Philadelphia.  Our spiritual foundation begins when we gain our own testimony of the gospel.

While there is nothing wrong with relying on the teacher or parent or friend or leader for a period of time, their light will only sustain us for so long.  I learned this truth when I received my mission call and realized that I had no true testimony of my own and set about to correct that situation.  The answer to my question of “What do I do?” was to read the Book of Mormon.  After I did so and received a spiritual confirmation to my sincere prayer of “Is it true?” I then came to realize that to spiritually stand on our own, we must receive a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel that is uniquely our own.  President Lorenzo Snow taught:  “Every man has got to learn to stand upon his own knowledge; he cannot depend upon his neighbor ... and he approaches to God and increases in his faith in proportion as he is diligent” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, [2012], 64-65).  A plant receiving secondary light instead of direct sunlight may grow, but it will be weak and malnourished and will eventually wither and die without the proper nutrients.

Once we have gained a testimony, another trap we can fall into was expressed by Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson in her recent conference address when she said: “It is possible for us to merely go through the motions of living the gospel because it is expected or because it is the culture in which we have grown up or because it is a habit” (Ensign, May 2016, 88).  If gaining a testimony is nothing more than a check mark on our supposed list of spiritual things to do in order to gain the Celestial Kingdom, then we have completely missed the point.  Elder Marvin J. Ashton put it this way: “We are sorry to observe that some, having received a testimony, feel and respond as if they had arrived. What a sad day in the life of any individual when he fails to use this knowledge and conviction of a testimony for dedicated and continued service. ...  A testimony is not a destination; it is a possession for performance” ("What Is Your Destination?" General Conference, April 1972, emphasis added).

A way I could personalized this is to mention a vacation my family took back in 2007.  I wanted to take my family to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico because I had gone there on vacation with my family when I was younger.  I had enjoyed my time there and wanted to share that experience with my wife and sons.  In my planning, I noticed that White Sands National Monument was along our way, so I decided we could stop there as well.  Once we arrived at White Sands, Ben and Isaac had a great time sliding down the dunes on their stomachs and Jennifer fell in love with the place.  She enjoyed how peaceful it was there and ended up taking off her shoes and walking along the dunes for about an hour.  If we had decided that nothing could top our experience at White Sands and we'd returned home, we would have missed our ultimate destination and the continued enjoyment and family memories we had at Carlsbad Caverns (so much that we plan to return to both places this year).

Just like stopping our vacation at White Sands would have stunted our experiences with this beautiful world that has been created for us, stopping at the beginning of a testimony and failing to press forward would keep us from experiencing the beautiful expansion that can come because of our continued effort; doing so would also hold us back from obtaining the full benefits of what our testimony can truly do for us.  Our testimony truly begins to work in our favor and becomes a possession for performance when we make it “the foundation upon which conversion is established” (David A. Bednar, Ensign, Nov. 2012, 108).

The word convert is Latin in origin; the root word means “to turn around, transform”.  The process of conversion is not something that takes place all at once.  It does not turn or transform us instantly, but follows the pattern Nephi set forth when he explained how God gives unto “the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30).  While there may be times when strong spiritual experiences move us along the strait and narrow path faster than expected, the conversion process is a series of incremental (at times almost imperceptible) steps toward the Savior and our Father in Heaven.  “Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience,” declared Elder Bednar; but as we put forth the required effort to align “our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds ...  with the will of God” we will find ourselves more in tune with Him then with the world (Ensign, Nov. 2012, 108).

I have written in previous posts how the sacrament helps to remind us of our willingness to keep the gospel covenants we have made with the Savior and our Heavenly Father and then how the sacrament is designed to put that willingness in to action by doing what we have recommitted to do.  Transforming our willingness into action develops our testimony of the enabling power of Christ’s atonement in our lives.  The more we do His works, the greater we become “converted unto the Lord” (Alma 23:8) through a continual “offering of self, of love, and of loyalty ... to God in gratitude for the gift of testimony” (Bednar, Ensign, Nov. 2012, 107).

As our testimony becomes a “possession for performance,” our capacity to do the works of Jesus increases which, in turn, deepens our testimony as we become “brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).  As Elder Hallstrom stated, “It needs to be more than what we sometimes think or even what we sometimes feel—it must become who we are. Our connection with God the Father and His eternal plan, and with Jesus Christ, His Son and our Rock, needs to be so firmly established that it truly becomes the cornerstone of our foundation” (Ensign, Apr. 2016, 60, emphasis in original).

Testimony and conversion work in harmony as we journey along the strait and narrow path toward our ultimate destination.  A concluding thought from Elder Bednar: “Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion. We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel” (Ensign, Nov, 2012, 109).  Endurance along the strait and narrow path Jesus has blazed for us will bring baptism, confirmation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood, temple ordinances, conviction, humility, repentance, submissiveness, and many other blessings into our lives, but these are only events along the way not the end of our journey. “What is your destination?” Elder Ashton asked. “I humbly pray our Heavenly Father to help each one of us realize it is eternal life, exaltation in our Father’s kingdom. . . . [T]he gift of salvation is possible through . . . the gospel of Jesus Christ, as we continue faithful” (“What Is Your Destination?”, General Conference, April 1972, lds.org, emphasis added).