On the 27th of December I was as healthy as a wombat, truly feeling good. On the morning of the 28th I was as sick as a dog. It took a lot of self restraint to avoid vomiting repeatedly (please excuse the graphic description). I felt absolutely disgusting, worst of all I was in no shape to go out and teach people about God. As such, my companion and I sat in the flat all day. It was a demoralizing experience to see a whole day go by without fulfilling my purpose to go teach. However, about 8PM (about the time I was starting to feel better) I decided to read something (prior to this time I had gotten nauseous doing anything besides sleeping). Though at the time I saw my choice of reading as a humorous matter (it's the biggest book -- I'll be sick long enough)... I see now that it was divinely inspired. The book I chose to read was Jesus the Christ. I will say this; I've never had to look up more than one word in a new book I'm reading, in this one I've already looked up 10. However, the spirit of the book and the divinity contained therein is not in the sophisticated words or the grammatical grandeur.
In my specific search for truth in my life I have always looked for what I believed to be real. While I enjoyed the fanciful "games" of life which certainly amuse, I always seek real truths. Most of you (well at least my family) are aware that I was not always as active in the church as I ought to have been. I was not “there” I was merely "going through the motions". The reason for this (though they are many) comes merely down to the point at which I decided whether it was real or not. Though for some people, that point in their life may have been earlier, I can tentatively say it came later.
To confirm a truth, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt of the reality a divinity of the mission of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know of the plan of the Father in which he sent us here to grow and gain earthly bodies. I know that it is through the Holy Ghost that we receive all truth. But most of all, I know it's real, living, today.
In Alma 30:44, Alma speaks unto Korihor and he says something most profound;
"...The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
In my reading of Jesus the Christ it really just confirmed this scripture to me. We often pass through life, living as members of the church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and even saying 'we believe' but we do not allow that to become real. Alma also claimed "O that I were an angel...that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God...Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption..."
Alma wanted to be an angel because he wanted this to become real. He wanted people to grow their faith to a perfect knowledge (Alma 32).
What I'm trying to say is that, I had to decide to believe in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I had to believe in the plan of redemption. Once I was willing to put forth that step, everything fell into place. Jesus the Christ has almost literally all the answers to all gospel questions and portrays them in the most truthful straightforward way. The reason this is called the dispensation of the fullness of times is because we truly have everything, all the answers. We are taught that "now are the days for men to walk by faith, rather than by sight" however, in this modern day, if we will open our eyes, we will so clearly see the miracles of the lord on the earth, and it is painfully obvious to see as we live the commandments the lord blesses us.
I hope that all of you back home are doing well. I hope that the gospel of Jesus Christ is as real for you as it has become for me.
