A Testimony

I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truest thing on this earth. It is greater than human weakness and greater than human greatness. I know that it is our responsibility to share the message of the Gospel with those around us. The happiness the Gospel guarantees is for every one of us, no matter our circumstances or our spiritual standing. We need the Gospel to feel peace in a world that is so hard to live in. 

I know that Joseph Smith went into the Sacred Grove to ask a question, and I know that, as a result, the Gospel was restored in its fullness. He saw Jesus Christ and the Lord, and he helped pave the way for a book of scripture, The Book of Mormon, that continually makes me better than I am. I know that he told the truth. To willingly be defamed and hurt so many times by those he loved and others he did not know for a lie would be inhuman. His willingness to be vulnerable and his dedication to what he knew proves to me that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was not built on lies but built on revelation. I consistently see the fruits of that revelation in my own life and cannot, in good faith, deny that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know he was. 

Furthermore, I know that we have prophets today who speak directly to the Lord. I know that they love us and that they seek our well-being. When President Monson announced the lowering of the mission age for young women, every single part of me trembled with the knowledge that he knows the Lord and that the Lord knows what we need when we need it. I am so grateful for that knowledge.

I am also grateful for missionary work. If not for two sister missionaries who took the time to teach my grandfather and if not for missionaries in Wales, I would not have the knowledge that I have now. Missionary work is a grand sacrifice, but it is one that changes lives. It is something we should continually do, whether we serve formally or serve in our wards. 

I know that temple work is one of our divine missions here on earth. Last week I had the chance to do baptisms for family members whose names I found on my own. It was one of the most peaceful and fulfilling things I've ever done. Families can be forever. Temples make that so, and I am so appreciative that we have so many on earth today. 

Finally, and most importantly, I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know that he lived an exemplary life, that he mourned with those who mourned and comforted those who stood in need of comfort. Because of the Atonement, because it is so far-reaching and transcending, we can feel that love and strength whenever we choose to. I know that he must love us far more than we can imagine to have chosen to take those burdens upon himself, and I often wonder at his trust in us to share that love. It's a great responsibility and evidence of his great faith in all of us. 

I know that we have been asked to be his disciples. He is the ultimate example of discipleship, and if we look to him and look to what he did, we too can know what he expects of us and who he expects us to become. We are sons and daughters of the Lord. What a magnificent and promising truth that is! He loves and cares for us more intimately than anyone else. He knows our burdens, our heartaches, our struggles, and our addictions. He knows our confusion, our fear, our pain, and our loneliness. He is our advocate and our friend. He is also our brother. I love him more in this moment than I ever have for what he has gone through for me. Though it can be difficult, I hope to be like him.

These are the things that I know.