Convert. What does that mean to me? I was born and raised in the gospel, with parents who taught me the doctrine from a young age. I grew up going to church, reading the scriptures, and going to youth activities. However, I still consider myself a convert.
One summer (I was about 12 years old), I started asking questions. Is this true? How could it be true? Is it the way I want to live the rest of my life? All of these questions led to me questioning my testimony. It was by far the very hardest experience I have ever gone through. I questioned everything that I once thought I knew to be true. What I discovered-I knew my parents knew it was true, but I didn't know for myself. For a couple months I was confused, discouraged, and overall just a mess. Looking back, this was the very best time of my entire life. It definitely was not easy, but it was worth it. Now I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that this gospel is the 100% truth!! I know that after the experiences that I had, this gospel has to be true, and that God is real and living. I did not have angels come down and visit me, I did not have a vision, but I was able to receive answers through the Holy Ghost.
Some people think questioning is bad, or if you have questions then you are doubting. This is what killed me. I figured that I was a terrible person for having questions. That is completely false. If you don't question anything, then you can't find out the answer for yourself. Questions are good, and questions taken care of properly result in a testimony. If you are questioning, seek for the righteous answer. Don't seek for something to disprove your question. Last, leave it in the hands of God. He will always speak the truth. It will most likely never be in your timing, but it will be in the correct timing. I know that if my answer would have come any quicker, my testimony would not be as strong.
God works in mysterious ways. They may not make sense, but they are always perfect. Trust in God and turn to him in trials instead of turning away from him. Once we become truly converted, we allow the Spirit into our lives completely. "When our testimonies are strong and we are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our choices will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, they will be Christ-centered, and they will support our desire to endure in righteousness" (Elder Richard J. Maynes). Seek with a real desire, and God will make manifest unto you the truthfulness of this gospel. After this experience, my life took a complete 180. I love this gospel, and it brings complete bliss!!
"We should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us." --Elder Dallin H. Oaks
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