A Lifeline When We Are Sinking
“Were my parents lying to me all those years?”
There was a time when I asked that question. A young man I knew in high school was learning from our missionaries. I was so excited for him—I just knew he would find the truth! But instead, he began to study all the “anti” materials he could find. He became well-versed in why my religion was not true!
One afternoon, he addressed each belief of mine and shot them down one by one. I was left reeling; I didn’t have an answer for the points he brought up. My parents had told me before to leave him alone, but that just fueled my doubt, “What are they trying to hide from me?” But as this young man continued to mock and tear down what I had held dear, there came a turning point. I discovered that there was a core of testimony deep down that he could not touch. It felt rock solid and there was nothing he could dish out that could change my mind from then on.
How did this solid core of belief get there? What gave me that lifeline, when I was sinking?
As I have thought about that, I think it was the combination of things. For years, my family had practiced religion by praying, reading scripture together, family lessons and activities. Secondly, we had sung songs of faith that had become apart of me. And finally, I had felt the Holy Ghost myself at special times and places—even if I didn’t realize what I was feeling.
We know that those we love have the freedom to choose their own path eventually, but when they are in our homes, we can fortify and build and do all we can to pass on the legacy of strong faith, that we were given. Daily, we can show them God and His goodness. We can help them grow the courage to see them through hard times and be able to remain true. And we can help them see the peace and joy that come from knowing the truth.
When my friend turned to go at last, he and I decided that one of us had the real truth and one didn’t. Deep down, I knew that it was me. “It’s high time I got my own testimony of my own,” I decided, and I set out to read scriptures all the way through on my own and get my own answer if they are true, straight from God. May we help those we love to build their own rock-solid core of truth by fortifying them and helping them turn to the source of real truth.
See more at: https://theanswerismorelove.com/2014/06/help-me-cleave-to-what-i-believe-rock-solid-faith/