I have been contemplating this post for a couple of weeks. Believing is a concept I thought I understood, but what I have realized lately is that I have never consciously applied it until very recently. I think I have had a hard time understanding what faith is, because I have been confusing it with both hope and belief. I would like to use a car to explain this thought process. I used to think that faith was the destination we have in mind for our trip. Then, through studying in Preach My Gospel, I came to realize that the destination, the desire, is hope. Then I thought, okay, then faith is the gas, the accelerator, to get me moving. Then, through recent study of the scriptures and other good books, I have come to realize that the gas is belief. Faith is the car. It is the "substance of things hoped for."- Hebrews 11:1 Maybe our car is missing a door or two, and maybe we don't have power windows, but I have come to realize that for the most part, we all have more faith than we realize, but we are living beneath our privilege because we don't have a full tank of gas, or because we are too afraid to step on the accelerator.
This was a whole new way for me to understand belief! Maybe a little background will help clarify this. When I was very young, I can remember learning about Nephi in the Book of Mormon, and how he heard the words of his father and decided to check this stuff out for himself, and when he did…he saw the same vision his father saw. Later he even talked about how he saw the Savior face to face. I remember thinking at that time, that I wanted to do that so bad, and thinking, why not? That "why not" seed lay dormant in my heart for many years as well meaning teachers, parents, friends, and culture mostly, reinforced the stereotype that that kind of stuff only happens for prophets, or people who are "highly favored" of the Lord.
I remember one time in a Young Women's class being taught the importance of prayer. We read many scriptures that in no uncertain terms told us to pray ALWAYS, and about EVERYTHING. We were even told a story about the wife of one of the prophets praying over her shopping list. Then, this well meaning, doing the best she could teacher said, "Now, do I think we really need to pray about things as trivial as a shopping list? No, but I do think we need to make the Lord more a part of our lives. When you have something big come up in your life, include the Lord in that decision".
Am I the only one that sees a mixed message here?
When did we stop believing the Lord when He tells us things? When did we start believing only partially what He has told us? ALWAYS, and EVERYTHING are words that are absolutes. They can be dangerous for anyone who is not perfect to use if they want to be taken seriously. But when the Lord, who is a perfect being, and does not mince words uses them, they mean exactly what they say! When the Lord tells us "what I say unto one I say unto all," and that he is "no respecter of persons," why do we think that the things that happen to the prophets and other amazing people in the scriptures, aren't supposed to happen to us, and if they do happen to us, it won't be in this life?
The reasons behind this way of thinking, are what I like to call veils of unbelief. The minute that we read something like "ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you" thoughts of "oh, that doesn't apply to this", "you don't want to bother the Lord with something so trivial", "He's so busy, He doesn't have time to go over a shopping list with you", etc. These are veils of unbelief that cause our seeds of belief to lay dormant. And if we give way to those unrighteous thoughts, those seeds can be snatched up and taken away.
As I was coming to understand how many veils of unbelief I had in my life and how many times a day Satan was whispering these lies to me, I decided to make a list of some of the things the Lord has promised me. This list came from my Patriarchal Blessing, from different scriptures that have stood out to me, from conference talks, and council given to me from leaders and loved ones. As I made this list, sure enough those veils of unbelief came streaming through my head, and as they did, I wrote them down. Then I pondered them. I noticed the stark differences between what the Lord was telling me and the thoughts I was frequently entertaining that were not of my own making. And then…I started to write the opposite of these veils of unbelief in the form of "I believe" statements.
For example, one of the major struggles I have had in my life is dating and getting married. It's not happening for me…yet. And to be brutally honest, I have never even been on a second date. To be even more brutally honest, I have never been on a legitimate date, and by that I mean a date where either of us were really interested in the other. But, I have been promised, in many different ways, and from many different righteous sources, that I will get married in this life. So, I wrote that down. I got as far a M-A-R-R and the veils of unbelief came flooding in me and around me, it was almost suffocating. So I wrote them down, and they were things like:
"You're not pretty enough."
"Maybe when you've lost some weight."
"You don't know for sure that it is supposed to happen for you in this life."
"You're just too unusual."
"Nobody is going to want you."
"You are just too much of a mess."
There were many more, but I think you get the picture. So, I thought about it, and prayed about it, and began to write down belief statements.
"I believe I am beautiful."
"I believe I am worth loving."
"I believe that there is someone out there for me that will truly love me."
"I believe that I will get married in this life."
"I believe that I am really not unusual, and that many men would be very lucky to have me as an eternal companion."
The amazing thing about doing this, is that I wasn't quite sure when I started that I did believe theses things, but like Corrie ten Boom stretching forth her hand, pleading for the Lord to provide the forgiving feeling to her German captor, I said the words, and the Lord DID provide the feeling. That is belief. That is the accelerator, in a work in progress car that is taking you to the place your heart longs to be. I have found that I have to catch myself, when I am entertaining the veils of unbelief, and then start saying belief statements many many times throughout the days. It is a choice, a conscious choice that I have to make every day. And as I have done so, the thought that a testimony is found in the bearing of it has come to my mind. Who ever said we needed an audience in order to bear our testimony? Bear it every day, to yourself and to the Lord! Bear it as often as it takes for the message to stick! Bear is so loud that you drown out the adversary and his enormous pack of lies and this belief becomes second nature and becomes a knowledge!!!
I believe that as we all do this, we will be strengthened by the Lord in all of our righteous pursuits! One thought that has been coming to my mind over and over it that the "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."-Exodus 14:14 I believe the Lord will fight our battles if we will stand still and let Him. I believe our Savior LOVES us and is always by our sides. I believe that our Heavenly Father is interested in the details, however minor, of our lives. I believe that there are many wonderful promises made to each of us that are there for us to unlock through our choosing to believe.
I would love to hear your experiences in faith, hope, and belief. Please share in the comment section below
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