Reason To Believe

If you've ever felt lacking in faith.... let's think about this for a moment. The amount of faith you and i put in Jesus Christ in the pre-earth life is astounding. Lucifer was probably out there talking about how hard this life would be; all the trials, failures, and heart-aches we would go through. he might have even said something to you like:

"even if YOU can make it through all that... do you really think Jesus can do it? And do it perfectly? Before you put all your eggs in His basket, are you sure He can carry that basket? Are you willing to bet your eternity on it? Because if He doesn't do everything He has promised, if He makes just one mistake, just one sin... it will all be for nothing. You and I will never make it back here, and you will never live with our Father in heaven again."

So, just know that you have on at least one occasion placed an incredible amount of faith in our older brother Jesus Christ. I think to return the favor, He has placed an incredible amount of faith in you. He has placed you in this day and age when the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored on earth. A time when temptations have never been more "in your face", and a time when a million other things are vying for your time and attention, taking your focus off of what matters most. He believes you are up to the task. He is your biggest cheerleader, teammate and coach. And if you put the amount in Him that He has in you, I bet you can do some amazing things. Just know that He believes in you, and is there for you when you're in the thick of it all.

Yesterday on a 20 mile hike up and down Mt Timpanogos, I made some new friends who had very different backgrounds and perspectives; one considers himself an atheist and the other - spiritual but without a firm belief in God or religion. It made me realize how much I have taken my relationship with God for granted. It is often discussed as the most simple and fundamental principle of the gospel, but I think can be one of the hardest, no matter what your background is. To develop a personal relationship with a Father in Heaven, there's no question it starts with a simple prayer.

Pray to see God's hand in your life, and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there, if He knows you. Ask him how He feels about you, and then... listen. 

- Russel M. Nelson

If this is hard for you to do, I think it is helpful to have a reason to believe. For me that reason is my family. I would hope there is a God because of these people right here:

There are some relationships that I make in this life that I hope mean something. Elder Holland says it best:

I don't know how to speak about heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisiacal beauty that we speak of heaven. I wouldn't know how to speak of heaven, without my wife or my children. It would not be heaven for me.
Now, you can say that's wishful thinking, or you can say that's just because you love each other and you've gotten cozy here on earth and you like each others company. It's a lot more than that.
There is something eternal in the statement that, "neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord." That isn't just good sociology, that is theology, it's eternal.

I want to be with this goofy LaFaye family forever. And when I eventually marry and have kids of my own, I want to have zero doubt that I have started something eternal. With this hope in mind, I have much more desire to pray and find out if God is real, and if so, how can I have this eternal family? But to understand the answer.... we gotta go wayyyyy back

- A SUPER brief history of the Church -

(with pictures!!!)

Since the beginning, God has called prophets like Adam, Noah, and Moses, to lead/guide the church. They taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, starting with faith, repentance, and baptism.

When Jesus Christ established His church, he called 12 apostles and gave them the priesthood (the power and authority of God whereby they could baptize in His name).

After Christ was crucified and resurrected, the responsibility to lead and guide the church fell on the remaining apostles. They too were soon rejected and persecuted until all were killed, leaving the Church of Jesus Christ in a state of confusion and disarray (apostasy). For hundreds of years since, we were left with their teachings written in the scriptures, but without men who had the authority of God to help us make sacred covenants such as baptism. Trying to make sense of the scriptures, many have started their own churches according to their understanding of the bible.

In 1820, a boy named Joseph Smith offered a simple prayer and was answered in a big way. God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, appeared to him and soon called him to be a prophet. Joseph later received the power and authority of God from angels Peter, James, and John, who had received their priesthood directly from Jesus Christ.

 Today we have the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Not a new church established by any man, but the same church Jesus himself established, now restored in its fullness. This is GREAT NEWS! With the power and authority of God to act in His name, we can now not only be baptized, but can be "sealed" together as a family for eternity!

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven

- Matthew 16:19 

September 12th, 2001, we got our tube socks on and went to the St. George temple to be sealed together. 

SO, long story short - even if it's kinda weird for you to exercise faith in God... find a reason to want to believe. I promise that as you take this reason to God through prayer enough times, your faith will transition from a collection of ideas or beliefs, into a personal relationship with your Heavenly Father.

He has faith in you. He didn't put you here to fail. And with an all-powerful, all-knowing God in your corner, how can you??

I testify that Jesus Christ is just as real as you or me. He lives, He knows us, and He loves us. I know that His church has been restored and it is here to stay. I know that families can be together forever, and I'm grateful for prophets, apostles, and temples for making it happen! This gives so much meaning and joy to my life, so if you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to let me know!