Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know. In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.
Mormon Thoughts: Moving Forward
Letter to a friend
Last week you were telling me that you don’t know what you are doing with your life. You said that you feel like everyone is figuring their lives out, and you are just going through the motions without progressing toward anything. We had a lesson in New Testament this week that I found really helpful in my life and I thought maybe could help you, too. We are in Romans right now, and there are a few verses I want to point out. First in chapter 5 verses 3-5, I’ll just summarize for you.
These verses give us insight on how we can obtain hope even through our tribulations. Through tribulation we gain patience, through patience we gain experience, and finally through experience we gain hope. I know you may feel like things aren’t going your way lately, and like there are things holding you back, while everyone else is moving forward. I’ve been there; it can be so discouraging! I challenge you to keep your head up and find hope for the future in the experiences you are having. You always have a clean future with endless potential.
The next set of verses I want to highlight are in chapter 6, verses 19-23. These outline the effects sin and righteousness have on our lives and on our futures. You’ve been quite an example to me over the months I’ve known you, little things you do to try to bring the spirit into your life and make your Heavenly Father proud have really impressed me. These few verses show us that if we choose to sin, our reward will be death and misery, but if we choose to be righteous and live our lives like I see you live on a daily basis, then our reward will be eternal life and a kingdom in heaven. You’re well on your way to gaining that great reward. When life gets hard, and it feels like you’re going nowhere, remember that our Heavenly Father loves you, and that He’s preparing a mansion for you in heaven. I know it can feel like we aren’t progressing in this life like everyone else is, but know that you always have the ability, no matter your circumstances, to progress in your spiritual life and THAT is what really matters.
The Lord knows our hearts even if we can’t express how we feel.
Finally, I want to touch on something that I struggle with in times of feeling inadequate, and that is knowing what to pray for. Often times I’ll be feeling distraught and get down on my knees, but not know how to express what I’m feeling to our Father in Heaven. Chapter 8 verse 26 shows us that in times like this, we don’t always need to find a way to express what we’re feeling. The Lord knows, He can feel our prayers just like He can hear and answer them.
I hope this has helped you a little bit as it has helped me, know that I’m here for you just like you’ve been there for me before, be sure to let me know if you need anything.
Your friend,
Darrell
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