My New Membership, For My Old Club

Conversion is a powerful and strange thing. Whether it is conversion to college or conversion to satellite TV instead of cable, or conversion to a new religion. The latter of the three is the most serious and important.

I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my entire life, born in and baptized at age 8. I went to all the classes, I went to church with my family every Sunday. Reluctantly kept the Sabbath day holy by not playing bball or going out with my friends on Sunday. I was under my parents roof, I had to obey their rules. Why did they make me do all of those things that I didn't personally believe in? That was the question I asked myself then, and this is the answer I give myself now. Because they loved me. Because they knew any traveler in a strange land is lost without a guide or map. Why is it that the more future you have to plan for the more nearsighted you are? Why, when I was young, couldn't I fathom the idea that my parents gave me rules because they loved me? I suppose because I knew it all, I could take care of myself. right?

The saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, never rang so true after I started to educate myself. All my parents rules were a mystery to me because I wasn't educated, I didn't understand what I truly believed. The basis of my faith was education. I don't mean school book education. I mean listening to people older and wiser than you, not just hearing them, truly listening. Reading books they don't let you read in school; Bible, Book of Mormon, History of the Prophets, Jesus the Christ, Gospel Doctrine, etc. Through this religious education was the only way I could know how I got where I was and where I would go from there. I read night and day, I asked questions of who ever seemed to understand more than me. I was a spiritual sponge hoping to absorb anything good, pure, and true. Even though I lived my whole life as a Mormon, I was not a true member until I educated myself and truly understood what I believed. That is the only way to true faith; knowing what you believe in and why. It took me nearly 24 years of my life to see what was right in front of my face the whole time. I guess the spiritually blind only see what they want to see. I am not perfect by any means, but now I know I am not and can work to eventually get there. No one is perfect (except my brother Todd)but everyone has the potential to be.

If you don't know what you believe or lack purpose or meaning, pick up a religious book and educate yourself about where you came from and where you hope to end up and why.

Free advice from a person that used to not take any.