Where Does Faith Begin?
Where Does Faith Begin?
By Kathy Penrod
There are a lot of things we can believe in. We can believe that eating a healthy diet and exercising will help us lose weight. We can believe that brushing our teeth daily will reduce the risk of cavities. We can believe that filling our car tires with air will allow for smooth travel. We can believe the Broncos will win the Super Bowl.
And we can believe in God, in Jesus Christ and in the restored gospel.
Belief like this can sometimes be harder than other kinds of belief. With general belief, we usually have some type of data or statistics to lean on. We can see the result. But belief in spiritual matters might be more difficult because you must hope for things you cannot see. (Alma 32:21) This is called faith.
Believing, or having faith, is a cardinal principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must have faith that following the commandments of God will bring us closer to His presence. We must have faith that His gospel is true. We must have faith in Him to be saved by Him.
But believing takes effort. It takes work.
Elder L. Whitney Clayton taught,
“Belief and testimony and faith are not passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something we choose—we hope for it, we work for it, and we sacrifice for it. We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to believe, just like we choose to keep other commandments.”
We must act if we are to find our way to belief. In John 7:17 it says, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” We can act by doing the will of God, by keeping His commandments. It is then we will know of His doctrine. It is then we will believe.
If you just can’t find your way to believing, then maybe you can find your way to the desire to believe. If all you can muster is the desire to believe, Heavenly Father can work with that. He can magnify that feeling until you do believe.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said,
“Some may say, “I cannot believe; I am not a religious person.” Just consider, God promises us divine help even if we have only a desire to believe, but it has to be a true and not a pretended desire.”
I have watched people I love lose faith. It makes me so sad. I feel sad that they are giving up something so precious. I long for them to have hope, or just a particle of faith. Watching someone you love struggle with faith makes you reevaluate your own faith. And I have done that several times. I remember a particular time when a loved one challenged my faith. I didn’t have all the answers. I could have stewed about that and let it wear away at my own faith. But I remember making the conscience decision to believe. The deliberate choice to have faith. It was then the answers and peace came.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf also said:
We can choose to believe.
For in belief, we discover the dawn of light.
We will discover truth.
We will find peace.
I know this to be true. As we choose to believe, we will find the peace we need. We will be filled with greater faith. We will find truth.
I echo the words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon. “Believe in God, believe that He is…” (Mosiah 4:9) Believe in His son, Jesus Christ, who atoned for all mankind. Believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and is on earth today.
Faith begins with just the tiniest particle of belief, or even the desire of belief. Let it grow and blossom inside of you.
