My Relationship With God: A Testimony

My Relationship With God: A Testimony

Posted on 1:40 PM by Eric Thayne | 1 comment

Many people do not understand religious behavior. Realizing that the adherents of a religion often feel deep love and gratitude to beings that they cannot see can facilitate understanding. I feel a deep sense of gratitude towards God even though I have never met Him or seen Him in a vision. Why? What has He done for me? God has saved me from guilt and helped me change, spoken in my behalf, and given me a plan stretching from before I came to this earth to after I leave it.

God has saved me from guilt.

I’ve made a number of decisions in my life that I am not proud of. I have made embarrassing decisions and I have felt shame and guilt. But I feel that through resolving to change, praying to God for help and forgiveness, and consistent righteous action, God has taken away my guilt. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet of the ancient people said, “I thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins…. and taken away the guilt from our hearts.” (Alma 24:10). I feel the same way as this prophet did thousands of years ago: I’m so grateful that I’m no longer burdened by the guilt brought by foolish decisions in years prior.

God has spoken to me.

I sometimes hear God speaking to me through feelings of astonishment, love, and wonder. It sometimes happens when I am enveloped and shocked by the beauty of nature. It probably occurs most often when I read the words of God and Christ in the Bible and Book of Mormon. Through the scriptures, God says, “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee.” (Isaiah 54:10). This makes me feel like I am valuable and gives me feelings of security and peace.

God has made a plan for the eternities.

The scriptures say that when I die, I will leave all my material possessions on this earth. However, I will be able to take my relationships and my personality to the next life. This helps me understand what is worthwhile in life—in the words of my Mom, “If it isn’t eternal, it isn’t important.” This gives me hope of meeting old friends or deceased ancestors in the next life and also helps me deal with the inconveniences and frustrations of everyday life.

In conclusion, I believe that anyone who makes a consistent effort to try and make a relationship with God will feel Him and be able to feel like they have a meaning in this life.