Growing up in the church, conversion can often follow this same pattern. A young man or woman, under the direction of righteous parents and mentors, learns and grows in the gospel. They attend service projects, serve in the priesthood and young women’s , achieve in YW in excellence and Duty to God, often feeling uplifted by firesides and camps, lessons and conferences, attending the temple and helping in the ward. They have a feeling that what they are doing is good, and when the witness of the Spirit attends they look to leaders and parents for validation. It is a wise mentor that can direct that person to the source and help them anchor to the Lord.
The Lord desires to connect with us individually and directly. While the influences of parents and leaders are useful they must ultimately fade to the background. Once Samuel had been called and qualified he was in a position to take over from Eli and provide spiritual direction for Israel. Likewise the lifeblood of the church is the ongoing process of young men and women making their own connection to the Head.
If our lives are to be of greatest use to the Lord we must have Him as our source.
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| Samuel hears the Lord but in his inexperience thinks it is Eli |
I have been going to church since I was 4 years old. I have been to almost every church in Powell. I have always been in search for the truth. Like you said, growing up in good works makes you want to continue and search for the meaning. In the other churches I have attended, I have not been able to find that truth. I have always felt the Lord calling my heart, but never known where to go with it. I am so thankful for this church and it's truth. It is that meaning that I have been looking for for the last 14 years.
ReplyDeleteHonestly even though I was raised in the church I think that sometimes that can bring about some problems. Well, maybe not problems but I feel that sometimes what happens is that a lot of kids who are raised up in the church feel a lot more pressure from their parents to be active in the church. But what happens is that they don't have the opportunity to accept what the Church has to offer for themselves. I feel that sometimes what happens is that they are going "going through the motions" rather then feeding off of their own testimonies. Of course I think that the kids that really do not want to be a part of the Church will eventually break off and I feel that the Church has a lot of ways to sift through the people that really have testimonies and the members that don't. But this is where this post from Brother Cherian started to make me think. When Eli realizes that Samuel is being called by the Lord it reminded me of how my parents help me and guide me as Eli did to Samuel. Even though a bishop, teacher, or a parent can push you in the right direction it is your choice to accept it and open your heart unto the Lord. After we studied this story in Seminary it made me realize how helpful it is to have almost a "double check" to see if you are following on the right path or not. However, I think that it is important that we do our part to not ignore the counsel that Heavenly Father gives to us. If we are to busy being side tracked by other things then we miss out on what the Lord has planned for us and possibly even his entire plan. That is why it is important to make sure we can connect to the Lord individually and directly like this post is saying.
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