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My Faith

Why I Stay

October 16, 2015
by
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Hi there! No official LDS Faith and Beliefs post today. Instead I wanted to share some personal insight with you about why I stay a member of the LDS church. I hope you enjoy it.


As a member of the LDS church living in Idaho, I feel like I get a lot of “news” about Mormonism in my social media feed each and every day. Temple open houses and other announcements made by the church, or news about disenchanted ex-Mormons working to make their voice heard. And at times, I want to comment or write about it on my blog, but I realize that a lot of my readers probably don’t even have a clue that these topics are even being talked about right now. But lately, there has been an influx of people deciding to leave the Church. I’m talking about people I know and don’t know, alike. Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven’t. Maybe you’ve heard about Mormonism, or maybe you haven’t. A lot of you could probably not care less. But regardless, I need to say something.

And so, today, I want to tell you the reasons that I stay.

I stay because I have a testimony of the restoration, the prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon. I have felt a witness from the Holy Spirit deep inside of me that those things are real and true.

I stay because I have a testimony of prophets. 

I stay because I have a testimony of temples.

I stay because the Holy Ghost has whispered truth upon truth unto my soul.

And I cannot deny it. 

Being a member of the LDS church can be hard. We are judged and often looked down on by other Christians. We are called names and accused of being brainwashed and of belonging to a cult. As a “new” religion our church history is often up for speculation and judgement. I understand this. Things that are different can be scary. And our church history definitely has it’s share of “weird”. There is also a lot of work to be put into the church. Most members have some sort of calling (see more on that here). This can range from being a leader of a congregation to being a teacher of a Sunday School class to being in charge of week day activities to being in charge of teaching toddlers on Sundays. All of these positions are unpaid. And all of them take work and effort, some more than others. It’s easy to get burnt out. It’s easy to not understand why you have a specific calling. It’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on other activities and classes because of your calling. 

But all of that can not and will not change the fact that the Spirit has testified of this religion and it’s truthfulness to me. The Gospel that I have been taught is pure and true. It is beautiful. It brings me joy and peace.
And so, that is why I stay. Not because it’s easy, not because I’m brainwashed, not because I have no where else to go. I stay because I know it is true. And that is the only thing that really matters.

EDIT: Friends, I realized as I was publishing my Instagram post that I haven’t mentioned the Savior in this post. I’m sorry about that. I was focusing on those things that are different from other Christian churches. But I want you to know that my testimony is firmly planted on HIM. He is my Redeemer, my Savior, and I owe Him all I am and everything I have. I will go my whole life trying to be like Him, and though I will fail, He will pick me up and allow me to try again. He loves me. He loves YOU. And I am forever grateful for his sacrifice for me, for you, for all of humankind. Hallelujah, and amen.


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Wife to Kyle, and momma to Abe, Eliza and Jonah. I'm a stay-at-home momma by day, and a blogger by naptime. I graduated from BYU with a degree in Human Development, and I love to read more than anything. I love my Savior, and sharing His love for others is my greatest passion.

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