My little brother, Travis, is currently serving a mission for our church. He's far away in Canada, learning to speak French, and searching for people who desire to know more about Christ and the LDS (Mormon) doctrine. In his letters he tells us about the people he's teaching, the success, and the failures they (he and his teaching companion) experience. He describes the good and a little of the bad (to spare my parent's nerves most likely!) And he shares the testimony he has in God and His work.
I've met many people who are baffled about why we send our young boys (brothers, boyfriends, sons, friends, etc) and young women (who are also sisters, girlfriends, daughters, friends, etc) out to different parts of the world, all with the hope that someone might listen to their message. It seems rather forward if you think about it; Two missionaries knocking on your door to present you with the chance to lean more about Mormonism. But I think it's one of the greatest parts of my religion.
The doctrine of Christ is a message of pure, genuine joy. It is a message that empowers you to act rather than be acted upon, to be apart of a great cause that lifts people to be the best they can be, and it perpetually teaches of forgiveness, repentance, and sanctification. It is a religion that brings such purpose to your life that it is difficult to not want to share it with others. I've felt this way a lot, and I'd like to describe it more.
As I have mentioned before, when I was younger and still discovering my "self identity" I was insanely insecure. I sought popular attention, boyfriends, starvation, and whatever else I could think of to make me look pretty, be popular, and have worth. It never worked. The whole time I was obsessing over those things, I just got worse. They weren't real answers and they weren't helping me be a better person. I think back on all the stupid things I did that hurt people's feelings, and it is more than embarrassing.
When I started to dabble with religion, slowly starting to pray, slowly starting to read my scriptures I began to feel better about myself. I began to see the good qualities I had (even if they weren't perfect), I felt genuinely happy, and I stopped feeling like I needed to put others down to be worth something; I already was.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has empowered me to know my potential. I see the value in putting time and energy into what I learn, the skills I develop, and the people I associate with. I have opportunities to serve people I go to church with, and I play a role in the unity that is felt at church. I play a role in looking after people who might be struggling, I play a role in freely giving back to the Lord, and I play a role in my spiritual progression. It is all things that uplift and edify myself and others.
The programs/ classes we have set up in church are for a very wise purpose. The children attend primary where they are taught by faithful members about God, faith, baptism, repentance, and kindness. The youth are taught in young men's and young women's about those same principles, and additional things like safe dating, the word of wisdom, and the power of the atonement. The men and women are taught in Priesthood and Relief Society the same principles as the children, as well as self-reliance, staying out of debt, service, and our divine roles as men and women. All that is taught is to make a powerful difference in each individual life to help them work to be the best person they can be. It is little wonder why we place such emphasis on our religion being taught and shared by these young missionaries all over the world.
My Mormon faith does require sacrifice. It has excluded me from parties and certain types of friends. It has prevented passion/lust from taking over my relationships. I could keep on writing the list of things it has kept me from doing, but to write about it in a seemingly negative way seems to mock all the good things it has given me; the best being protection. Do you want to know what happened because I didn't party or have sex with whatever boyfriend I "loved"? I have been blessed with the most genuine group of friends this world has to offer. I have been trusted by my peers and adults to tell the truth and to be in good places. I avoided the detrimental emotional roller coaster of giving my self completely to someone who would cherish it only for the physical high it gave them. And have I met and married an incredible man who I now fully invest myself in and who loves me with intensity and purity matched. I say that's more than compensation for the meager sacrifices I made to be in good places with good people doing good things.
There are sacrifices to be made, no matter how young or old LDS members are. We, as Mormons, will continue to be asked to sacrifice the temporary pleasures of today for the everlasting joys of eternity. We will continue to be "different" from those around us as we choose to stand by our faith, but we will forever receive great tender mercies that adequately compensate for the sacrifice of being "different." We have a faith worth sacrificing for. We have a faith worth sharing.
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