Stand as a Witness

Tonight I am doing something out of my comfort zone, but I'm going into it with a positive attitude and a smiling face...

I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 15 years old and I remain the only member of my family in the Church. My parents never felt God or religion were important in life and I grew up thinking Sunday was just another day. They generally have the same ideas except my mother has been searching a little more as she ages (though I feel she is searching in the wrong places).

To give some additional background, my mother has three younger sisters, all living in different states and two of which have strongly embraced the Pentacostal, Born-Again faith. While I love my aunts dearly, they make no bones about the fact they do not like the Mormon faith and actively speak out against LDS teachings. They know I am active in my church and I participate fully in all the LDS gospel has to offer (including the temple) and occasionally they enjoy debating the Bible with my husband and I (seemingly for sport). Again, I'll state that I love my aunts and as long as religion is kept out of the conversation, we have a great time. My mother, bless her heart, finds it easier to accept their teachings than mine and has semi-adopted their philosophies, though she isn't consistently active...

So, that brings us to tonight. I have been invited, and accepted, a girls night out with my mom and her sisters to attend a Bible seminar by Christian speaker, Beth Moore. As I looked at Beth Moore's website, I see that she is a Baptist minister who is "on fire" about the Word of God. The tickets to attend were $50 each, which my mom happily bought mine for me. I know I will be in the extreme minority in the crowd at this Conference tonight and I know I will be under the microscope of my family, watching to see how I will react to what is said.

I'm not well-versed with all aspects of the Gospel, but I know in my heart that it is all true. I cannot quote scripture verbatim, but I know they are real messages from God through His prophets. I know there is truth in all faiths, and I will seek out what I know to be true in the messages delivered tonight and I will receive it graciously. Hopefully, I am going to be an example of a good Latter-day Saint woman and represent the Church and our Savior well.

I keep thinking back to the YW Theme: I will stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things and in all places... That certainly applies to now.