I'm a Mormon

So, I know this is a really iffy topic for some people, but I felt like it was something that I should write about. This is a very religion-based post, and quite personal, just as a heads up to anyone reading.

I LOVE life because...I'm a Mormon.

Now I know that everyone has their own opinion about religion. Many people think that this church is true, or this one. Other's don't believe in religion at all. Whether someone believes in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or not, it doesn't really matter that much to me. I think that everyone has a right to their own opinion and their own views. All I ask is that if you are reading this, and have no intention but to write a rude comment below, please stop reading now and leave this page. If not, feel free to read away and try and enjoy what I have to say.

Now I have been LDS my entire life, and have become the person I am today because of it. To many, I was known as "The Bishop's son", or the over-used "Peter Priesthood". Those, in title, made me feel like I had to be perfect in everything I did spiritually. I always did what I was supposed to, and tried my hardest to stay out of trouble. Later, I realized that I didn't really have a testimony of the church. I was just riding on the coat tails of others. I was just feeding off of the testimonies of others, and sort of made it my own. It wasn't until I was about 18 that I realized I needed to gain a testimony for myself. I was preparing for a mission as all 18 year old, male Mormons do. As I prepared, and took a Missionary Prep class at the Institute, I finally began to gain a testimony that was my own. 

I served my mission in the Washington Tacoma Mission. I thought this was really interesting when I got the call because I had family that was living within my mission. I was so excited to be serving a mission, especially because I was told many times that I would not be able to serve because of my health. I served for about three months until I returned because of health problems. If you know me, I have a whole caboodle of health problems. This brought me down, down to a level of depression that was terrible for me physically, mentally, and spiritually. I didn't know what to do, and I thought that I was a terrible person for coming home from my mission early. Don't get me wrong, there are wonderful people in the church, but some people just made me feel even worse about myself while talking to them. 

I will admit that I have struggled with the church many times in the past, and sometimes still do. Quite recently I thought about leaving the church for good, but something stopped me. I can't really explain what happened, but I had a sort of epiphany. My life wasn't going the way that I wanted it to, and I realized I needed to change something. I realized that I was ready to turn my back on all that I knew, and a lot of the people that I loved. It was one of the hardest times in my life...I can't even describe the pain that I was feeling. I resorted to hurting myself, and sometimes suicide attempts, but I know that I was protected for a reason. I knew that I wasn't finished here. I had a purpose that I needed to fulfill.

I was, at first, a little resistant to listen to General Conference that happened just a couple weeks ago. I did listen though, and I listened well. It was such an amazing experience for me to listen to Conference and hear the testimonies of the leaders of the church. It reminded me of the love I have for the church. The love that I have for God and for His son, Jesus Christ. It made me want to turn my life around, and try and be the best person I could be.

The beautiful Logan Temple

Today we had Stake Conference which gave me an extra spiritual boost. It made me realize that I love the gospel and want other people to know of it too. After that I walked around the Logan Temple with my roommate Jeremy, and just had a nice Sunday afternoon.

Now I'm not saying that I am perfect, because I am nowhere near that. I am just trying my best to follow the things that I believe are true. If anyone reading this has interest in the LDS Church, I encourage you to seek someone out who can help you understand more about it. I know this isn't a funny post or anything that I usually write, but I just felt the need to write this. Have a beautimus day, week, and life!

I LOVE life because....I'm a Mormon.