The visiting teaching message for February urges us to strengthen our personal testimonies of the Savior. As we do so, we can become tools in the hands of our Heavenly Father, acting out His will on this Earth and serving Him as He would have us do.
The message first addresses the question of how to strengthen ones testimony. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should already have a testimony of our Savior. If we do not, it is imperative that we seek to cultivate and develop one. Without a firm, strong testimony, staying on the straight and narrow path can be difficult. We are subject to the same physical impulses that Christ would have us cultivate and improve.
But acquiring a testimony is not enough. We must seek to strengthen it. One of the best quotes I have heard was said in a fast and testimony meeting (and I believe that she, too, was quoting): “Excuse my tears, I am watering my testimony so it will grow.” A stale, stagnant testimony will quickly wither and die, and leave us as bereft as if we had known gospel truths. This is why constantly choosing the right, attending church, and seeking to serve are all so important.
Note the words that both Elder Richard G. Scott and Bishop Keith B. McMullin use as they describe ways to make ones testimony stronger. Elder Scott states, “A powerful testimony comes from quiet moments of prayer and pondering.” Take notice of the word ‘moments’, in the plural. A testimony is not a one-time thing. We must spend much time on our knees and in thought for it to increase. Similarly, Bishop McMullin says, “When (a testimony is) so pursued…” ‘Pursued’ is an active verb. We cannot sit around waiting for the Holy Spirit to bonk us on the head. Yes, we will have moments of spiritual insight and confirmation that what we hear is correct, but unless we ACTIVELY seek after a testimony to develop from those moments, then they are wasted.
The message then examines how our testimony can lead us to do the will of our Father in Heaven. Elder Dallin H. Oaks ponders that we can not seek to just be ‘convinced’ of the gospel’; “we must act and think so that we are converted by it.” As we do things for the right reason – for charity, the pure love of Christ – we ourselves will be converted. We will further seek His will and His promptings to guide us.
A strong and vital testimony can make us a powerful tool in the Lord’s hands. But we will not be handed such a testimony on a silver platter. Like all of the blessings from Heavenly Father, we must be willing to seek after, to sacrifice, to obey. As we do so, we will grow closer to being one with our Father and with our Savior, and thus will seek to do their will. We can be God’s instrument even as we draw nearer to Him.
Related Articles:
RS/EQ: Casually But Not Devoutly
Growing Up in the Gospel and Learning Nothing
Five Tips for Successful Visiting Teaching