Activity, faith and what they mean

As an LDS person, I have really never made a secret of the fact that the church is very important to me. I don't always talk about it, or I talk about it only in certain circumstances, but if you are around me very long, you will have no doubt about my priorities. When I was a child, maybe 7 or 8 years old, I remember walking to Church by myself. I can't say what the rest of my family were doing at the time, why they didn't take me or weren't going themselves; that's not important. What is important is that I was going because I wanted to and wasn't waiting for someone else to make it easy.

It was important to me because even at that young age, I knew that it was right. I remember sitting in a Sunday School meeting when I was about five years old on a bench with no back with a lot of other kids.  Sister Ursenbach, I think her name was Jessie but I am not sure, was speaking.  She was the wife of the temple president at that time and she was talking about the importance of the temple and how we should all prepare to go there by living the gospel. The interesting thing about her was that she seemed to have no chin, or maybe a huge double chin, and it jiggled a lot as she talked. I was fascinated watching her. In spite of this distraction, I had a strong feeling, all encompassing, that what she was saying was true. I knew it was. I knew it, not only at that moment, but forever after, and not only about the temple, but about all that it represents. 

On different occasions members of my family have talked to me about being actively involved in the Church and about faith.  I mentioned that one of my relatives who is not "active," meaning he does not attend meetings, said to his mother about his reasons, "What has the Church ever done for me?"  This is a question I would never have thought to ask, not ever in my life. I wouldn't have thought of it. It just seems irrelevant. It makes out that the point of the Church is that it does something for you.  If the Church is truely of God, and I know it is, then the real issue is about God, about faith, and about He wants us to do for Him. In the particular conversation where I mentioned this, the other person, Andy, mentioned a "less active" person in his ward who said, complained really, that he has never had a home teacher who made efforts to seek him out and encourage him to activity. Sometimes he didn't even get a visit from his home teacher. Andy thought an appropriate question to ask him might have been, "Well, have you done your home teaching?"

Later Dawn, who is a Primary President told me that one of her teachers laughed on the way out of Primary and said, "You've got to be kidding if you think that our family will be able to do regular scripture reading." I guess she was too busy, or it was too hard to even try. The very idea was a joke.  Dawn was a bit appalled at the message she was sending her children about the gospel, about living the gospel, and about its importance.  This all calls to mind President Kimball's motto "Do it." That sounds simple, but obviously it is not.  Being "active" is about doing things: going to meetings, paying tithing, reading scriptures, giving service, trying to be Christ-Like, trying and trying to do ALL the things actively that we know we should.

 It seems that lots of people have gotten things so turned around that they have completely lost this concept and think it is about other people doing things for them. What can a Church do for you? The LDS church is simply an organization composed of people, and are you not then saying that other people should be doing things for you?  If that is what you think, then it follow that YOU should be doing things for other people. This may mean paying tithing which helps fund building and programs for people, supporting your bishop, teaching a Primary class, helping in the nursery. These things are ALL about helping others in some way.  There is no Church, or if there is I am not sure what it is - the building, those who preside who are really just volunteers. Tthere is only an organization of imperfect people trying to help each other in an organized way.  If anyone thinks that this collection of imperfect volunteers is not doing enough helping, then maybe the solution is to roll up one's sleeves and make a contribution. 

I once gave a talk about dealing with adversity.  I felt like I was dealing with adversity at the time and didn't really want to give a talk about it. But one thing I remember having to say that was one solution was, "Keep on keeping on."  In other words, "Be actively involved."  If things are hard, be more active not less active.  Be actively engaged in a good cause - helping others.

Since then it has been confirmed to me many times over, that faith is not just a principle of power, it is a principle of action. And action leads to more faith.  Sometimes we look for signs:  "Show me a lightning bolt, have an angel appear to me, give me a profound 'spiritual experience'  and then I will believe."  I think, at least for me, that those startling experiences come rarely and only after sacrifice and intense 'activity.'  What does come -  after days, months, even years of daily committment, daily sacrifice and service to others, daily prayer and all the other signs of 'activity - is the assurance in your heart of God's love.  I felt it at age five, and I feel it now. Maybe people who say that God is within you have gotten it right.  The trick is knowing how to make it happen and to keep on keeping on.