One afternoon I was in Salt Lake up by the University of Utah. I had to pick up a girl and take her up above the capital to a home on the top of the mountain. She had long red hair and was very friendly. She got in the car and we started talking about her being Irish and me being Swedish and laughing about blondes and redheads. It was a lot of fun.
She was an artist and I told her that my neighbor is an artist. I told her about Liz Swindle and how she painted pictures of Jesus. She said that the church had beautiful art that she loved but it’s too bad that some of the people act like they do.
Then we started talking about where we lived. I said I lived in Orem. She misheard what I said and thought I said Ogden. She said, I like Ogden, it’s so much better than if you were from Utah County. I laughed and showed her the logo on my Orem high school football coaching shirt. I said, I live in Orem.
She had a shocked look on her face and began to scramble and backtrack. I said to her, don’t worry about it, it’s all good. She said, I just don’t like the kind of people that live in Orem. I like it up here so much better. I asked her what was wrong with the people in Orem and she said that they were all judgmental. It always amazes me when people dislike people they don’t know for being judgmental because it is the pot calling the kettle black in a very real way.
Then she said, besides, I’ve left the church a few years ago and I don’t do that anymore. She said she couldn’t be part of a church that hated all the other churches. I stopped her and said, well that’s not how it is at all.
I said that we don’t tell people from other churches that their belief in Christ is evil. We tell them to bring what they believe and we’re going to give them additional blessings, an additional level of discipleship and more understanding. I told her we have the full gospel but it doesn’t discount the truth that they already know and feel in their hearts.
I asked her if she remembers about when Jesus came to America. I asked her how much time Jesus spent criticizing and belittling the people for their current beliefs and practices . She said she would imagine that it would be zero. I told her that all of those people had been baptized before. All of these people had worshiped Jesus before. When Jesus came he brought a new understanding, new commandments, a new baptism and a new level of discipleship with the full gospel and he taught them.
I asked her to visualize being there in darkness for three days and nights after tumultuous earthquakes, tsunamis and destruction of your land. Then you hear a voice that breaks the silence as you lay there in pain and suffering. The voice touches you to your heart and soul and introduces Jesus Christ. Later you look up to see Jesus Christ descend from heaven and stand on the steps of the temple.
I said, that’s what happened. These people were laying there in their misery for three days and three nights. Finally the darkness broke and they saw Jesus descend from heaven and he stood in front of them. They went up to him and they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet. They bowed before him and in one voice they all said “Hosanna” . I asked her what the word “hosanna” meant and she said “glory to God?” In a questioning voice.
I said no it means save us! It is a plea for salvation.
I told her that these people asked God to save them. Their God, who stood right before them, heard their plea and in a direct response to that plea he called 12. He instructed them how to baptize and gave them authority to perform this baptism that he authorized. He did this so that these people could take a step up to the next level. These people who had previously been baptized were given a ladder to heaven. The first step up was the the baptism given to them by Jesus Christ.
All these things happened without him ripping on their previous religion or discounting their faith or the love they had shown him in their previous worship.
I told her that this is something we get wrong sometimes. Sometimes we are over sensitive and closed. She agreed big time. I said, it happens when members of the church feel like they’ve been persecuted, they circle the wagons and turn inward. Jesus Christ would always have us turn out. She asked, why don’t other people talk like that? I said, a lot of people do talk like that. This is the way God would have his children interact with each other. He would have them do it with love and understanding.
She said, there are so few members of the church. How can it be the only true church when only a small percentage of people even know about it? What about the people that don’t get the opportunity like people in the Middle East? I’s not fair. I said, we look at life and opportunities as single events in a small sphere with no context. God looks at it from the beginning of time to eternity and our opportunity will be a perfect opportunity for us. Every one of God’s children will have a perfect opportunity. No man can tell you when you’ve had your opportunity, that’s between you and God. By this time she was crying I could see that the spirit was touching her and the feeling of the love of God was like a flood of emotion.
I said, do you remember what it feels like in the presence of your Heavenly Father? She looked puzzled and said no? That’s what you’re feeling when you feel the spirit. When you feel the spirit, God is testifying of the truth that has been spoken. You can feel the spirit anytime truth is being taught because it testifies of the truth.
I felt inspired to tell her that she had left the church because some people had made some personal harsh and unjust judgments about her. I told her that was on them and that she needed to show more love and develop love like our Heavenly Father has for us. I said that she needed to follow the example of the savior and forgive. I said that their judgement hurt so bad because she felt guilty for the sins that she had committed. She felt called out and resented it. I told her that Heavenly Father would have them love her. Everybody sins, both those who judge as well as those being judged.
I asked her if she had nieces or nephews and she said she did. I asked, when you look at their eyes what do you see? She said that she sees pure love and innocence. I said, what do you think when you look in those eyes? She said I think I love that child so much. I said, what would you do for that child? She said, I would do anything for that child. I said, what would you do to save that child? She said, I would do anything to save that child. I said, what would you do if a child was disobedient? She said I would try to help that child and teach that child. I told her that this is just like our father in heaven. We are each his child and he loves us more than she loved that niece or nephew. 1000 times more than she loves that child and he wants to teach us and help us. This is what the church is about.
The spirit was bearing witness of the love of our father in heaven for each one of us. I asked her if she could feel the spirit right then. She was very emotionally engaged and said, yes, I needed that so much today. I really needed this. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yes. I told her to read about Jesus coming to America and to feel for this spirit because God would manifest the truthfulness of that book to her. I said that this is how she would feel in the presence of the spirit. She said she would do this.
I said to her, I started driving about four years ago and the one thing I found is that God puts people in my car when they need to hear a message. I told her that today she was put in my car to hear this message, that God loves her and that the church is true even though the people are imperfect. I testified that the Book of Mormon is true and that the truth of it has nothing to do with how the members of the church act. It only tries to help them be better.
She said, I believe that. I bore testimony that the church was true and the spirit was there with us. I asked again, did you feel that? She said yes. I could tell she had to go and I said, before you go I have one last thing. Do you know what feeling that spirit means? She thought for a minute and smiled and said, I guess I need to start going back to church, don’t I? I laughed and said yes. She said, OK message received.
She thanked me and said once again, you don’t know how much I needed this today. She got out of the car and went into her home. It never ceases to amaze me how God knows where we are even when we have strayed and he understands the moment when we need help or can be touched. He is the father that looked into our faces and feels that love. He will never let go of that love.
Sometimes God sends you a lift 