This was another week where I struggled to find something to share, but I feel like there is value in talking about why I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By all rationale, it’s not a fit. To those who know me or knew me, few would likely equate me as a religious person. Canadian culture is steeped in a few things, hockey, winter, beer, and maple syrup come to mind, and I’m about as Canadian as the next guy. On top of that, I can be cynical, cranky, sarcastic, loud, proud, abrasive, and belligerent. Not exactly the qualities one would use to describe someone who should be humble, kind, compassionate, and loving. I’ve been told that I am a terrible Mormon. My response is usually to the effect of, “could you imagine how miserable I’d be if I didn’t go to church?” It can a difficult religion for some to understand: no alcohol, no drugs, no tobacco, no gambling, all those kids, service, tithing, 3-hour church, etc. But, honestly “If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-Day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course.” (Boyd K. Packer) I’ve come to know this statement is true. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.

So, let’s dig into the whys and hows of my being an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But first, I’ll mention that people recognize us as Mormons because we read from a book of scripture known as the Book of Mormon. Mormon was a prophet of God who assembled a collection of books that contained stories of God’s dealings with a group of people for a nearly 1000 year period of time on the American Continent. (Book of Mormon in 60 seconds ). These people were a remnant of the House of Israel. Sounds far fetched, but if you have any questions or doubts about the Book or Mormon, I encourage you to get a hold of one of these books and flip to any page. Read it. Note every time God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit are mentioned and think about how you feel after reading that page. If you do this, you will begin to understand why we revere the book so much. Mormon put together the book with divine guidance. He was an important prophet, just as King James and William Tyndale played important roles in collecting the books of the Bible and making a reliable English translation. The Book of Mormon works hand in hand with the Bible in better communicating God’s plan to us.

We don’t get offended if people call us Mormon, but we aren’t Mormons. What we are, though, is believers and followers of Jesus Christ. He is the very reason we are able to be here. “He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, and the Messiah of the New” Testament. He created the Earth, He atoned and died for us, so we can live again as He lives. (see The Living Christ ). We honour His death, but more importantly; we honour His life and that He lives. This is why you will never see a cross in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not a lack of respect for Christ, it is out of respect that we do not honour a cross.

If you’re still reading, I appreciate it, and I get it. The world is a crazy hectic place, with more information than any one person could ever take in and comprehend. When someone comes to me to discuss something I am not familiar with, I have to fight to not zone out as it can be tough to follow. We have our comfort zones and are happy inside that little box. But I promise you this, that there is more value in learning about Jesus Christ and reading the scriptures than could ever be gained from reading any amount of textbooks, encyclopedias, Pinterest pins, Wikipedia links, or all the accumulated knowledge found on the internet.

So, why am I a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? The easy answer is because I was born into the church, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Yes, I was raised in the church. But I still had to make the decision to stay a member of the Church. I went through periods of inactivity and I questioned things. I was encouraged to question them. That’s how I grew. I even went through periods where I attended and disliked everything about attending. As I stated earlier about how miserable I would be if I didn’t attend church, I was pretty miserable during that stretch. In the Book of Mormon, there is a scripture that points out that the “natural man is an enemy to God… unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.” (Mosiah 3:19) Going to church doesn’t make me a better person, unless I internalize the teachings and make the changes in my life that make me better. “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” (Billy Sunday) When I do internalize what is taught there, and do the things I’m reminded to do, I invite the Spirit of God into my life and it helps me to overcome my shortcomings. I have felt peace during times of conflict or frustration. I have been reminded of things I forgot. I have received focus and eternal perspective. I’ve received answers to my prayers more times than I count and in ways that are more than coincidence.

One such example was work related. I am an electrician at a large plant which cleans, dries and ships out Metallurgical Coal. Our dryer is a critical piece of equipment and was broken down. We spent multiple days trying to get it going. I was working night shift during this time and was on my last night shift for that set. (It was do or die time.) We had a handful of people on site during the day trying to figure out what to do. Most of these people had been on site for 16 hours and had to go home, leaving me to look at things by myself. We were close but something was holding the process from firing up. It was getting to a critical stage. My boss and his boss were considering sending the crews home until we could solve this issue. I was trying to trouble-shoot the issue so I said a little prayer and before I said ‘Amen’ I remembered an oldtimer electrician telling me I had missed two wires the night before when hooking up a brush lifting device, but to not worry, cause he swapped the two wires to their proper position. It was such a small comment; I was surprised I remembered it. I went straight to the brush lifting device, found the two wires, and swapped them back to match the print. I called and asked the control room to attempt the start up procedure for the dryer and to mine and everyone else’s surprise, everything started up as usual. I know that God helped me that night.
It’s been the accumulation of these small experiences that have reinforced to me that God lives, He loves me and is invested in my life. I’ve learned that “at the very moment we say “Father in Heaven,” He hears our prayers and is sensitive to us and our needs…. The wonderful thing is that He will see you with eyes of love and mercy — Love and mercy that we cannot fully understand.” (Juan A. Uceda)

Another principle of the Gospel is that we are literally spirit children of Heavenly Parents, who love us and want us to succeed in life. We existed before this life, as spirits in the presence of God. Life was good, but we were limited. We were very much children living at home. We had neither the knowledge or ability or grow beyond what we were. We wanted to become like our Heavenly Parents, who had physical bodies. We would need to be tested and tried. We would need to experience life and choose to follow Him. A Plan was provided for us to do this. It would require a sacrifice as no one who sinned would be able to return to God’s presence. Jesus Christ would offer that sacrifice. The sacrifice only someone without sin could offer. He took upon Himself the sins and pains of the world. For you. For me. For people who would suggest He never existed. For everyone. He took upon Himself that pain regardless of whether each of us apply that blessing to our lives.

When we left that Pre-Earth life, we knew that coming to Earth would be tough. We would be born an infant, would take years to get to a stage where our test could begin, we would have absolute agency to choose to follow Him or do whatever we want. On top of that, a veil or separation would be placed between our Pre-Earth life and Mortal life causing us to forget anything prior to this life. This veil would seal that agency, allowing us to choose whatever we truly wanted. If we could remember God and our Pre-Earth life, who would choose anything else? We knew bad things would happen. We knew that life would not be fair; it would be a test. But, “Life is the fairest test of all, not equal to another’s challenges, but equal to us, especially when we lean on the Saviour for support.” (Neal A, Maxwell.) We are, each of us, able to handle the trials we face. We are equal them!

I heard this quote when I was a teenager and thought it was pretty good. Now that I am a parent, and can see it from the perspective of a parent, I believe even more in the agency to choose. I love my kids and want the best for them, but to do so, I want them to make their own mind. They have to decide what they want in life; I cannot make the decision for them. I love to see my kids help each other. I love to see my kids make correct choices. I don’t stop them from learning things the hard way, just as God allows us to make mistakes. He allows bad things to happen, not to punish us, but also because stopping something bad from happening would infringe on the agency of another. He loves each of us equally. Everyone is taking the same test and sometimes, the poor choices of others will affect our lives, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are still taking this test.

The reason I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is because I know these things to be true. I know that God lives, that He is our Father in Heaven. I know that we are here to be tested. I know that the scriptures are here for our benefit and learning. I know the Holy Ghost is here to help us and to testify of Christ. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. Through Him, we will live again. I know that God loves everyone. He’s not only concerned with what the Hebrews or Jews, or Nephites, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ are doing. He wants all to come unto Him. I know these things. Not because I was born in the Church, but because I have received a personal witness that these things are true. That is the single biggest reason that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have received revelation for myself from God. The windows of Heaven are not closed and we can each know for ourselves if we will put the work in and “ask God with a sincere heart if these things are true and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:3-5)

~Todd Bruce

@elkvalleylatterdaysaint