Doubt Not, Fear Not

With finals week approaching, I have been stressed to the max. D&C section 6 verse 28 says "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." Reading this verse this past week provided me with the comfort and peace that I needed. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for me and for his son who knows my every heartache. HE knows how I am going to get through finals, HE knows what I need to be comforted, and HE knows how everything is going to work out. My testimony has grown so much over this semester as I have done a serious study of The Book of Mormon. I have come to truly know and believe in the power of The Book of Mormon. At the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni talks about how merciful the Lord is. The Book of Mormon begins with Nephi, talking about the tender mercies of the Lord. The Book of Mormon is not just a record, it is an amazing tool that we have been given for us in our day today. It tells us of the love, patience, charity, and mercy that Heavenly Father has for us. I truly believe it is the most true and correct book on this earth and I am thankful for the chance I have had to study it in depth this semester.

Start Somewhere

Alma 32:27 says "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment unto my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."This scripture reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite conference talks. In "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home" Dieter F Uchtdorf says, "Do not despair. If you cannot muster faith right now, begin with hope. If you cannot say you know God is there, you can hope that He is. You can desire to believe. That is enough to start. Then, acting on that hope, reach out to Heavenly Father. God will extend His love toward you, and His work of rescue and transformation will begin. Over time, you will recognize His hand in your life. You will feel His love. And the desire to walk in His light and follow His way will grow with every step of faith you take." I love this scripture and this quote. It shows of the desire that our Savior has for us to come unto to Him. We do not need to know everything, we do not need to be perfect. All that He asks is that we start with something. Start with a desire to believe and let it work in you until your desire grows into something larger. I think that this scripture is so powerful and comforting to me because it helps me understand that I do not need to be perfect. Sometimes I feel like I don't know enough about the gospel and that I need to know more before bearing my testimony or sharing a thought. This scripture assures me that the Lord doesn't expect me to know everything and this brings me peace and comfort.