Becoming like Christ

                At church on Sunday, during the Relief Society lesson, the sister teaching the class encouraged us to share our "light" with someone this week.  Share a smile with those you pass, give your extra change to the homeless man on the corner, wipe a child's tear with patience and love, give up the closer parking spot in the Walmart parking lot, or share your knowledge of the gospel with a friend ... etc.  Basically, do something that you might not have done before.  I went away from that lesson saying to my self, "I can totally do this.  I will smile at someone AND give away my parking spot- easy!  I got this."  Well, yesterday, I read an article in the Ensign called Understanding Our Covenants With God.  It was a wonderful article and if you are interested you can read it HERE.  The last paragraph was a quote by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and it really touched me.

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts- what we have done.  It is an acknowledgement of the final effect of our acts and thoughts- what we have become.  It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions.  The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

                I thought to myself, “This is what I want to be and how I want to live- like Christ.”  One thing that I haven’t done in a very LONG time, because it is difficult for me, is share my knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone.  So I want to do that now, with you- the person reading this post, this very moment.  I could so easily smile at you and give you the closer parking spot, but I want to give you something that can change your life forever.  Something I hold close to my heart- my testimony.

                I love my Savior and Redeemer; I know that He lives, right now.  He loves me and He loves you- right now, the way you and I are, today.  We are children of God, and Jesus Christ is our brother.  Families can last forever; even beyond the grave- isn’t that wonderful news!  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ’s true church, restored in this day through the prophet Joseph Smith Jr.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God, I have studied it and found it to be correct through the Spirit- read it and you can find out for yourself as well.

                Find out about other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at Mormon.org.  And information is readily available about our beliefs at lds.org.