Recently Elder Baird and I have taken up running as part of our daily exercise. Since we don't get much physical activity during most of our day we have the chance to spend time at the end of the day doing something active. Anybody who has been to our part of Provo, Utah knows that we live on the side of a mountain. It doesn't really matter the direction we go when we run because we are inevitably going to run into a hill at some point along the way. The first few times we ran, those hills terrified and discouraged me. I was not a good runner at first. This was not because I was unhealthy or out of shape, but because I did not think positively about the path ahead of me. I would think to myself, "How am I ever going to make it up that last large hill?? I've already run for several miles, and I am tired!" Always, this pattern of thought was crippling once I did reach that hill.
The more I ran the more I understood the importance of thinking positively. As I would run I would think to myself, "I feel great! As long as I keep this pace I can make it to the end of the run." I allowed myself to be realistic by admitting that the journey might hurt. But I knew that consistency would be key.
So often in life we run into the same obstacles. Not the metaphorical hills... But the obstacles of thinking negatively about our capabilities, and not building a strong and sure foundation of faith that relies on consistent, righteous behavior. My testimony today is one of faith in God and His son Jesus Christ. I have faith and hope that through my righteous living I can begin to make definite changes in my life for the better. Elder Richard G. Scott, in last week's General Conference, talked about the importance of having faith and being consistent in following God. Here is a portion of that talk:
I know that God lives. That He cares about each one of us. He wants us to make correct decisions so that we might learn to become more like Him and more like our Savior and perfect example, Jesus Christ. I know that as we live the principles of the Gospel that we will be able to accomplish that. I encourage everybody, if you are not already doing so, to test and experiment on the things that you may learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All you need is the desire to believe and if you experiment through prayer and study and trying to follow the commandments then I know that you will know that God is there for you in your life. You will have a peace and love of God and of your fellow-men. And you will be hopeful in your standing before God.
I know that Jesus is our Savior. Thanks for the reminder that we must continue to have faith and to work hard.
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