Friday, November 7, 2014

Exercising Faith When Church Attendance Hurts in Some Way

I was asked to speak once in a ward I was visiting - last minute, since the assigned speaker was sick. The topic was faith and how to exercise it.

As I sat on the stand thinking and praying about what to say, I felt a very strong impression to share with the congregation the examples of two people - my mother (who is schizophrenic) and a good friend from a previous ward (who suffers from depression and is bi-polar). I did so at the very beginning of my talk, with the explicit statement that I agreed with the previous speaker with regard to most members, but that I wanted to talk to anyone in the congregation who felt overwhelmed and guilty every time someone spoke about faith and how life is so much better if we only exercise more faith. I then went ahead and talked about how faith really is enduring to the end in the face of not knowing or experiencing confirmation - that, for some people, simply getting out of bed and attending church knowing they would hear messages that worked for others but would hurt them was the supreme act of faith.

I won't share the rest of this story in this post, but I will never forget the rest of that day and the confirmation I received that my impression really was pure revelation (the uncovering of something I had no way of knowing on my own). I will thank God for that revelation for the rest of my life.

5 comments:

MB said...

This was good. Thanks.

Varlo Davenport said...

I have a dear friend with two sons who chose not to go on missions - every time a happy and excited Mom gets up to share what their missionary has been up to - she feels like a knife is twisting in her heart, that she's a failure and that she failed her boys by not getting them out. If she know's there's a farewell or welcome home talk, she just doesn't go to Sacrament meeting.

Anonymous said...

Encouraging. I just want to respond to the last comment in saying that I am coming to learn, far too late, that I only alienate my children as I grieve for their lack of church activity. I'm learning that it is not my place to control them with my sadness-I need to accept their agency and love them for who they are, confident that God will do His work with them as He has with me.I have to constantly correct myself, and actually it helps us all when they are no longer living at home. Acceptance is easier in small chunks than full time.I am learning not to judge my children, but to leave that judgement to God.

Jenifer Pullman said...

I had lunch the other day with a dear friend who has left the church. As I spoke with him and tried my best to understand where he is in his life right now and the circumstances that brought him there, I was overwhelmed with a gentle feeling of love. "He is on his path. His path is not that far away. He is a good person. He is going to be okay."

Anonymous said...

Jennifer I wish your comment was in every RS lesson and priesthood lesson. Our families would be enriched and settled by it.