"That Our Children May Know" Part 1

This blog is primarily kept to be a journal for our family—a place where we can record our everyday happenings and noteworthy occasions. I think it is important, since being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a huge part of our lives, that we record for our children and family the reason we belong to that church and our personal, individual beliefs.

I was born to parents who took me to church and taught me the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I quickly gained a desire to give my full heart to living the principles the church teaches. While I have not lived without questions or doubts about God and life after death, I have always found a profound peace within the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Living the principles of the gospel (for example being baptized, attending church meetings, serving in callings, praying, reading the scriptures, focusing on family relationships, and continually seeking to know and understand God’s will for me) has brought personal, enduring happiness.

Before having our first child, Afton, I worried that perhaps I was not ready to bring a child into this world and should not do so until I was certain of the meaning of life and my place in it. However, deciding to have children was an act of faith. I felt it was what my Father in Heaven wanted me to do and so I would. The whole experience of having a healthy, beautiful, perfect baby was one of the greatest testimony-building experiences I have had. To see my body do something truly miraculous as creating and sustaining a human life was amazing; having a child rely on me for life was humbling; and feeling the incredible spirit of this unblemished child provided me with a firm testimony that God is real.

As I have struggled with motherhood, among other experiences throughout my life, I have learned again and again that God is aware of me and my personal needs. While I am still learning, I have come to better understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the miraculous power it has to heal. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ (meaning the plan that Heavenly Father has for each of us to live for a time on this earth and to utilize the atonement to right our wrongs thereby gaining the ability to return to live in His presence) is the way to happiness. I echo the words of the apostles and prophets saying “God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son” (The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles, 2000).

--Annie