The author begins talking about her husband's great-grandmother and her journals. As she and other family members have read through them, they all found a common thread; the testimony that this woman had of listening to the prompting of the spirit, and the power of prayer. She had many experiences that built her testimony, and because she was thoughtful enough to write them down, she was able to bring a life long legacy of faith to generations of people. The chapter goes on to explain that our own personal experiences, especially those of faith, will be powerful to teach and inspire future generations. We simply need to keep record of them.
I'm not much of a journal keeper, and I blame that on my left handedness. My hand drags across the page leaving smudges and smears, and it's also awkward to write against the binding of a book. Okay, so that's probably only part of the reason. I really do love writing in this forum, my blog. I like that I can add pictures, that I can type up my thoughts on my computer, and how easy it is to look back on the past 2 and a half years that I've been writing. I am so grateful to be able to remember all the experiences of being a newly married couple, and hope that my kids and future generations will be able to read these and see what life was like before we started a family. But something I need to convey more often, and something that this 21 Days Closer to Christ has given me, is how important my relationships with my Heavenly Father and Savior are.
The journey for today asks us to start keeping a journal of this Closer to Christ journey. Check! I'm doing that. Two, it asks us to write our testimony of Christ down. I'll try to keep this short, simple, and sweet, because otherwise you'll be here all day. So here it goes.
Since I was a little girl, I was taught that Jesus Christ was my brother. I was taught that He came to earth as a part of Heavenly Father's plan, and that His life was a perfect example of how we should live. I was taught of the miracles He performed, the service He gave. I was taught that He atoned for our sins, and that He died and was resurrected, that we too can live again. I don't think I truly understood the magnitude of the Atonement or what it meant for me until I was a teen, and then how much more the Atonement meant until the past few years. As a teenager the fact that Christ took my sins upon him finally resonated with me when I realized that because He did that, I am not condemned by my actions. It allowed me to know I could change and grow, and that past mistakes did not define me as a person. For a long time, when I wasn't seeking a relationship with Him, I felt stuck, alone, and that would always be weighed down by the dumb choices I made. When I truly repented, I felt that weight lift off my shoulders in the most literal way. In my life now, I see that the Atonement expands beyond sin. It allowed for Christ to have empathy for each and every person on the earth. Any pain I have felt, self inflicted or not, my Savior can understand perfectly. Because of that knowledge, I am never alone. I can always turn to Him, and when I sincerely ask for His guidance or love, I feel His love wrap around me. Why wouldn't I want to have a strong relationship with someone who knows me better than I know myself? Why wouldn't we seek out the person who understands our heart ache or joy more than anyone on the earth? He wants that relationship with us. And I guess that the common thread that I would like to leave as my legacy to future generations. I want my family to know of the personal relationship we can have with Christ. I want them to know that they can turn their lives over to Him, because He understands perfectly how they feel. I want them to know that in my deepest despair, my tiniest sad moments, and my greatest happiness, I have been overwhelmed by the love He has for me. He lives. He knows me. Nothing has brought me more peace or happiness than the faith I have in Him.
Love, Katie
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