Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon.
I was afraid that my testimony was dwindling... I had been thinking about all of the devotionals I had missed out on and institute lessons I hadn't attended in these past seven months. I was worried that I wasn't the same person I had been, that being in China had pushed me away from what I knew and loved, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Maybe I have changed...
-I haven't taken sacrament since I've arrived in China. I don't have the blessing of having a preisthood holder here to do the ordinance.
-I am so far away from the Hong Kong Temple that I haven't attended, just that is so different then SLC where I'm used to having a few within a fifteen minute drive from my home.
-I don't even know what my Bishop looks like because "church" is a conference call with members around mainland China.
All of these things have changed for me. I'm the only member in ZhuZhou, a city of two million. If there was ever a time in my life where I should feel alone and discouraged it should be now.
yet I don't.
Living the Gospel isn't getting dressed up for church on Sunday. It's not carrying around scriptures. Its not spending time with people of your same faith. Its not sitting in a meeting house. Its not wearing a CTR ring.
Living, actually living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is more than that. It takes more then putting on a dress or tie and announcing your affiliation to a religion or sect. It is more.
Every day I have to remember who I am, not because I have forgotten my love for the Gospel, but because everything around me is telling me to be something else. I've grown accustomed to having to wash out the smell of cigarette smoke in my hair after a night out. I've had to change and assimilate into a culture that is sooooo far from my own upbringings. I've had to, for my own sanity and peace of mind, yet through changing and accepting these things I have learned so much.
I have come to realize that I try to live the gospel because it is what everyone is searching for. We are all searching for that "something", some think its love, others money, honor, a gold medal, an education. I have found that something within me.
It is there when I pray to my Heavenly Father, when I tell Him about my woes and troubles. It's there when he listens and comforts me. It is there when I read about my Savior, Jesus Christ. It's there when I ask for forgiveness for my daily mistakes and regrets. It's there. It's here. It's in Utah. It's in China.
That "something" is like listening to a familiar accent. It is being embraced in your mothers arms. It is being home, even when you're not sure where home really is. It is the peace of mind that no matter where we are in the world, there is something greater and bigger than us all.
How great that something is.
Oh Lord, How Great Thou Art!
Señor, mi Dios, al contemplar los cielos,
Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
el firmamento y las estrallas mil;
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
al oir tu voz en los potentes truenos,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
y ver brillar el sol en su cenit.
Thy power throuought the universe displayed.
Mi alma canta a mi Señor y Dios:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
Grande eres Tu! Grande eres Tu!
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Maybe I have changed...
-I haven't taken sacrament since I've arrived in China. I don't have the blessing of having a preisthood holder here to do the ordinance.
-I am so far away from the Hong Kong Temple that I haven't attended, just that is so different then SLC where I'm used to having a few within a fifteen minute drive from my home.
-I don't even know what my Bishop looks like because "church" is a conference call with members around mainland China.
All of these things have changed for me. I'm the only member in ZhuZhou, a city of two million. If there was ever a time in my life where I should feel alone and discouraged it should be now.
yet I don't.
Living the Gospel isn't getting dressed up for church on Sunday. It's not carrying around scriptures. Its not spending time with people of your same faith. Its not sitting in a meeting house. Its not wearing a CTR ring.
Living, actually living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is more than that. It takes more then putting on a dress or tie and announcing your affiliation to a religion or sect. It is more.
Every day I have to remember who I am, not because I have forgotten my love for the Gospel, but because everything around me is telling me to be something else. I've grown accustomed to having to wash out the smell of cigarette smoke in my hair after a night out. I've had to change and assimilate into a culture that is sooooo far from my own upbringings. I've had to, for my own sanity and peace of mind, yet through changing and accepting these things I have learned so much.
I have come to realize that I try to live the gospel because it is what everyone is searching for. We are all searching for that "something", some think its love, others money, honor, a gold medal, an education. I have found that something within me.
It is there when I pray to my Heavenly Father, when I tell Him about my woes and troubles. It's there when he listens and comforts me. It is there when I read about my Savior, Jesus Christ. It's there when I ask for forgiveness for my daily mistakes and regrets. It's there. It's here. It's in Utah. It's in China.
That "something" is like listening to a familiar accent. It is being embraced in your mothers arms. It is being home, even when you're not sure where home really is. It is the peace of mind that no matter where we are in the world, there is something greater and bigger than us all.
How great that something is.
Oh Lord, How Great Thou Art!
Señor, mi Dios, al contemplar los cielos,
Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
el firmamento y las estrallas mil;
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
al oir tu voz en los potentes truenos,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
y ver brillar el sol en su cenit.
Thy power throuought the universe displayed.
Mi alma canta a mi Señor y Dios:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
Grande eres Tu! Grande eres Tu!
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Comments
Post a Comment