“In an increasingly secular world, less emphasis is placed on the amount of spiritual growth necessary to become more Christlike and establish the foundations that lead to enduring faith. We tend to emphasize moments of sublime spiritual understanding. These are precious instances when we know the Holy Ghost has witnessed special spiritual insights to our heats and minds. We rejoice in these events; they should not be diminished in any way. But for enduring faith and to have the constant companionship of the Spirit, there is no substitute for the individual religious observance that is comparable to physical and mental development. We should build on these experiences, which sometimes resemble initial baby steps. We do this by consecrated commitment to sacred sacrament meetings, scripture study, prayer, and serving as called.” (Quentin L. Cook, “Foundations of Faith,” General Conference, April 2017)
Yesterday we talked about remembering those big moments. Reliving them can be a powerful way to remind us of the foundations of our testimony. But it is not sufficient to maintain our faith. If it were, so many formerly faithful members would not leave the church. We cannot rely on those experiences alone. We must continually build up our foundation of faith so that it has the strength to stand the test of time and flood of “information” that comes at us every day. We must turn to Christ and His teachings and rely on HIS information, not the thoughts and testimonies of those around us.
I studied hard in college. I loved my classes and I loved to learn. One of my favorite classes was a Biopsychology class. We learned about the structures and functions of the brain. I studied hard for that class and aced it. I could locate and label every part of the brain at a glance. But that was 15 years ago… today I remember very little of it. I cannot rely on my study from 15 years ago to retain the knowledge I once had. Now that I am out of practice, I can only remember a small part of it. The same goes for our spiritual knowledge. It is not a “one and done” sort of learning.
Elder Cook goes on to say, “Just as repetition and consistent effort are required to gain physical or mental capacity, the same is true in spiritual matters. Remember that the Prophet Joseph received the same visitor, Moroni, with exactly the same message four times in preparation for receiving the plates. I believe that weekly participation in sacred sacrament meetings has spiritual implications we do not fully understand. Pondering the scriptures regularly—rather that reading them occasionally—can substitute a superficial understanding for a sublime, life-changing enhancement of our faith.”
Meditation and Journaling Prompt: How are you building upon your foundation of faith?
Call to Action: I am doing a 3 day meditation challenge – 2 times a day, for 3 days, at least 10 minutes long with a focus on Christ and the foundation of my testimony. I would love for you to join me and share your experiences.
Mindfulness Tip: New to meditation? Try an app. I am using Simple Habit this week. I have also liked Headspace in the past. Both have a free learning series. Simple Habit has several so you can find one that works for you.
