Believe

What does it mean as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to believe?

Mark 5:36  "Be not afraid, only believe."

Jesus spoke these words to the ruler whose daughter had died. And then they went together to the man's home where Jesus raised her from the dead.

Webster's dictionary says the following:  Believe

1. To accept as true

2. To give Credence to, to hold as one's opinion

3. To have religious faith, to believe in, to have confidence in the existence, truth, or efficacy of

Perhaps the most poignant story from scripture about what it means to believe is this story shared by Mark in chapter 9:23 - 24. A man has a son with an illness that sounds a lot like epilepsy and seeks Jesus' help. " Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

As I consider all these statements I see myself in my own struggle to believe. Looking at the dictionary definitions I start with "to accept as true". I do accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ as true yet I have seen it changed over the years of my life. And besides that, I recognize that some scripture represents not truth but what those people at that time believed was true. So funny as it may seem, I am grateful to belong to a church where there is an openness to change. I can believe because truth is not a set dogma but a never-ending search to understand eternal principles.

Let's look at the second definition. To give credence to, to hold as one's own opinion. Often when I, Loretta, make a statement of belief - that is exactly what I am doing. I am expressing my own opinion. Example :I believe that God loves his children so much, so faithfully, so devotedly that He will work tirelessly and endlessly until He brings all home.

The third definition is to believe in, to have confidence of the existence of. This is religious belief. It is the belief that the two scripture stories illustrate so beautifully. "Be not afraid, only believe". And "Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief." This is when belief is a choice.

I have made my choice. We all must decide what we believe life is all about. I have found in the LDS perspective, a belief system that stirs my heart. I am going to quote now from The Crucible of Doubt by Terryl and Fiona Givens because they have helped me sort out the gospel. They have helped me to 1. set aside the weaknesses of its first prophet (and all its leaders), 2. separate the gospel from my Protestant beginnings and the paradigm with which I was raised and 3. separate the gospel from the culture surrounding it.

I find the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be founded in basic truth about who God is, who man is, and they're shared destiny. I find in these truths a way of thinking that inspires me with faith, hope and charity.

As Terryl Givens says, a gospel truth will be Expansive, Redemptive,  and Inclusive.

The foundational truths are all that.

1. "There is an eternally existing universe presided over by a Deity who embodies the perfect love for which we yearn and for which we ourselves stretch, the weeping God encountered by Enoch. A being who literally, and not metaphorically, feels our pain as well as our joy, and is responsive to it, who made himself vulnerable, and thus won power and space in the world by his weakness."  page 136 The Crucible of Doubt

God is my loving Heavenly Father

I think of the hymns and songs that I love the most and which touch my heart. They are those whose words testify of God and his love.

My Heavenly Father Love Me

I Know My Father Lives

Our Savior's Love

The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is My Light

God is Love

How Great thou Art

I Stand All Amazed

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Where Can I Turn for Peace

Be Still My Soul

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

He Sent His Son

2. "We find here a vision of human identity that is rooted in spirit - a refined matter as ancient or as eternal as the rest of our universe. Consciousness itself, our experience of aliveness and introspection and self-awareness and morality and meaning and responsiveness to beauty suggest a core identity of a radically distinct nature. . . And one that is eternal and. . ." page 136 The Crucible of Doubt

I am a child of God

The music that inspires

I am a Child of God

I Lived in Heaven

A Child's Prayer

I am Like a Star

Know This That Every Soul is Free

3. "A vision of mortality, consistent with the evolving momentum of all nature, that is educated, purposeful, and ennobling. Life is a moral workshop that we enter as willing students, not as unwitting victims of fate or happenstance, not as suffering culprits for an ancient father and mother's supposed crime. Life as a purposeful sojourn through which we strive toward virtue, acquire wisdom to carry with us, and cultivate relationships to survive the grave. Page 136 The Crucible of Doubt

Life is educated, purposeful and ennobling

I love the way the Givens describe our purpose here on Earth. It is so positive. Sometimes the words they choose make me feel happy: Educative, Purposeful, Ennobling.

Compare those words to the grinding feeling when we  focus on "proving ourselves, obedience, sin and repentance". Those feel heavy to me. They make me feel like there's something wrong with me because I constantly have and continue to make serious errors. I get stuck in "Am I a good person or am I bad? How will I ferret judgment? Have I repented enough? " But when I focus on the Givens words I asked very different questions:  "What lessons have I learned so far? What purpose can I find in that experience? How have I changed and become a better person because of my own challenges in life?"

I like the hymn "If You Could Hie to Kolob". Yes, perhaps it could say if you could see the heavens but let's not get caught up with hie and Kolob. This hymn is inspiring!

Life is eternal and the progress we make now is just the beginning of an eternity of growth and progression.

The hymn "O My Father" is another one that reminds me and inspires me that I am here for a purpose - a Divine and eternal purpose. It feels good to sing this song and be reminded that my life is leading to a joyful ending - "Let me come and well with you."

4. "A vision of human potential and work that is universal. No preordained losers, no predetermined hands, no ceilings of celestial glass. Infinite possibilities that do not depend on the circumstances of mortal birth into a particular place or time or culture. A destiny of eternal growth and increasing joy that God has made - and will continue to make - available to all, even as much as they are willing to receive. For it is his will that none should be lost." page 136  The Crucible of Doubt

I am an eternal being with endless possibilities.

I love how I feel when I contemplate eternity and the infinite possibilities that it holds for us.

I like to meditate and in my favorite meditation I visualize myself walking along the beach and I look up and see Heavenly Father walking toward me. I am excited to see him. We have so much to talk about. I hurry to him and He enfolds me in His arms while I bask in His love.

I imagine that joyful reunion for all of us. It will be there in the presence of such Love that we get to talk about our mortal journey and what we have learned. It will be there in the presence of His Love and our Savior's as well that we will heal from all earthly wounds. It will be there that we see what lies ahead.

My favorite song for this section is from the play "My Turn on Earth."

Some dreams must wait life isn't long enough.
Some dreams must wait to come true.
Sometimes it seems life just begins
and then all of a sudden it's through.
There's songs you won't sing.
There's stories that you won't ever hear.
Pages you'll never turn, words that you'll never know, things that you never will see.

Some dreams must wait life isn't long enough.
Some dreams must wait to come true.
It's nice to know there's all eternity
for everything you'd like to do.
There aren't any ____. there aren't any things like calendars.
No such thing as too late, just always and evermore.
That's why I think it's so great
that Heavenly Father and Mother
figured it all out so clever.
There's never enough time and that is why I'm glad we go on forever. . .

Sometimes when we are experiencing difficulties we may say "Keep an eternal perspective". But I like to keep that eternal perspective all the time. There is so much I want to do and to learn. I look forward to a future where I know such growth is possible.

5. "A belief that the relationships that are the end of all our human striving - marital love and unity,parental devotion to children stronger than pain or death, friendships of long duration and those recently formed - that all these endure. The conviction that these are too fine, too transcendent to dissipate in the wake of physical dissolution. It may indeed be wishful, hopeful thinking. But it also seems reasonable, given love's persistent survival amidst the traumas and horrors of history, against the tides of material distractions and the organism's propensity for self-interest, and in the light of theotherwise stingy  economy of the universe. page 137  The Crucible of Doubt

Families are forever

Michael McLean said it best:

Well, it's hard to say goodbye and let go and it's hard to see it end 

when the memories we've just made may never happen again. 

But it's harder for time to erase the together times we've shared. 

So, when we're apart remember all the love we shared together

 and for all that love thank the Lord above who showed us the way 

that we can be together forever someday. 

We will be together forever someday. 

We will be together forever someday

And then there is this simple Primary song we all love:

I have a family here on Earth. 

They are so good to me.

 I want to share my life with them through all eternity. 

Families can be together forever 

through Heavenly father's plan. 

I always want to be with my own family 

and the Lord has shown me how I can. 

The Lord has shown me how I can.

Ultimately we all choose what we will believe. I found in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints a vision that expanded my mind and inspired me to believe that God really cares for His children. Our lay leadership means that we will hear many different versions of that story. Leaders will disappoint us and they will not always reflect the Savior's love. Somewhere along the way I lost my footings on what I believe and have now reclaimed them. They are the simple truths of the restored Gospel:

God lives and is our loving Heavenly Father (and Mother). I am a child of these loving Parents who created the plan so I might become like them. That plan brought me here to Earth and is meant to be educative. It is purposeful and ennobling. I am an eternal being with endless possibilities. The family is central to God's plan and these relationships - along with all our good friends - extend into the eternities. Families are forever.

Jesus Christ is Central to God's plan. He is our savior and Redeemer who knows that our mortal journey will leave us wounded. Some of those wounds are self-inflicted. Some are inflicted by others. Others come from the experiences we have on earth where mother nature and political battles are not always kind. But Jesus is our healer. He will rescue us from our sins and heal us from all else. Neither the consequences of our bad choices nor anything else can stop us from progressing and ultimately becoming like our Heavenly parents. But it is our choice. We are free to choose our own destiny.

I personally believe most everyone will choose to return home. It will just take time but time we have. Father has never declared a set day by which we must be transformed. He will work lovingly and endlessly until our return for "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

Man is that he might have joy. Joy comes from living true principles. Heaven is an association of beings who have learned these principles. That means we can claim "heaven" right now when we choose to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.