Sunday 4 August 2019

Testimony

The question was asked in Sunday School, “Has there ever been a time when someone’s testimony has made a dramatic and lasting impact on you?”

I try to keep quiet and not say anything in such settings, but I’d like to have told about the testimony of my future in-laws.  Perhaps four times a week I would drive to Baker to see Dave and Zelma.  Marjorie was at BYU, and they were there all alone.  They welcomed my visits.  Zelma always seemed to know when I’d be coming, and would have home-made bread just coming out of the oven.  She would place that hot bread in front of me with butter and her raspberry jam, and I’d sit there and eat most of a loaf.

Then she and Dave would go into the living room and sit down together on the love seat.  They even held hands.  I sat down cross-legged on the floor facing them.  They began talking, and I began listening.  Everything they said was fascinating.  They taught me about the Church.  There was no denying that everything they said was true because there was an atmosphere there that was warm and that wrapped itself around me.  I loved being there.  I loved listening to those two, wise, loving people.  Everything they said was the absolute truth.  I’d go home and try to relate the stories and feelings to my parents.

I retold those memories to Marjorie today.  She said, “I know just what you mean.  The Spirit is a tangible thing.  I remember dreading it on the few occasions when Mom and Dad had to go somewhere.  I’d be sent to spend the night with a friend.  The friend’s house was cold and uninviting.  My friend’s parents would fight and quarrel, and my friend would whine to her parents about every little thing.  It was many years later that I realized that what I was missing in those other homes was the Spirit of the Lord.”

Things I Don’t Understand

Marjorie just asked me, “What does it mean when the scriptures say that the earth will be rolled together as a scroll?  How do you roll up a sphere?”

“That’s always bothered me, too,” I responded.  “And what does it mean when it says that the earth will be moved out of its place?  Is it going to be taken out of the solar system?”

There are a lot of things that I don’t understand.  Here are some other things that I’ve been puzzling about:

Why is it that a young person can experiment with drugs when there is so much information out there about the dangers?  The 22-year-old daughter of a rich and famous family died of a drug overdose this week.  She was a college student, young, beautiful, and should have had everything in the world going for her.  What she lacked was an understanding of who she was and an understanding of the Lord’s plan of happiness.  She also lacked an appreciation of her body.  How could anyone ever purposely ingest a harmful substance into his or her magnificent body?  That’s something I couldn’t have even done when I was a non-member of the Church.  There are some things that I just don’t understand.

And then there’s the matter of tattoos.  How on earth could anyone think that an ugly, permanent marking on his or her magnificent body is beautiful or desirable or an improvement?  How has the adversary been able to dupe so many people?  There are some things that I just don’t understand.

There are currently two dozen Democrats vying for their party’s nomination for the presidency.  One and all are advocating socialism to a greater or a lesser degree.  One of the planks of socialism is to change the makeup of the family.  Socialism states that “the traditional family structure reinforces capitalism, and must be abolished.”  One socialist argues that “traditional family structures prop up oppression and that the modern transgender movement plays a critical part in achieving true reproductive justice.”  She embraces “open-sourced, fully collaborative gestation.”

What on earth was she saying?  How in the world has the adversary been able to do this to so many people?  How ignorant can you be?  There are some things that I’m just not capable of understanding.

Taking It With You

I think that I jump up and bear my testimony in nearly every fast and testimony meeting.  I just can’t help it, and I fear that I’ll be labeled as a know-it-all, and one who loves the sound of his own voice.  I don’t want people to groan when I open my mouth.  So today (and last month) I made myself sit still.

Had I gotten up I would have said, “They say that you can’t take it with you, but I intend to take with me to the next world everything that’s important.

“I’m going to take my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, my testimony of His gospel, and of His restored Church.

“I’m going to take the Priesthood that I bear.

“I’m going to take the knowledge that I’ve worked to gain.

“I’m going to take the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“I’m going to take the remission of sins that I obtained through the Lord’s Atonement and my baptism.

“I’m going to take a clear conscience.

“I’m going to take my covenants.

“Because of those covenants I’m going to keep my family.  They’ll be mine forever and ever.”

Compliments

Last week 30 elders sat in a big circle in priesthood meeting.  They were discussing adversity.  I had determined to not say anything.  People seem to look to me as an authority, when the fact of the matter is that I generally have no original thoughts going through my head.  It’s best to just keep your mouth shut when you have nothing to say.  People think that you’re sitting there having all sorts of wise thoughts when in actuality your mind is a blank.

The meeting was nearly over when Lance Cline, a class member, said, “I’ve been sitting here all this time wondering what’s going on in James Kerns’ mind.  I think that he has something he wants to teach us.”

I was taken off guard, but, thankfully, I had some thoughts going through my head.  I said:

“I was sitting here thinking about what Father Lehi said in 2 Nephi 2:2.  He said that the Lord will consecrate our afflictions for our gain.  I like to add, ‘...if we resist the urge to complain.’

“I maintain that our greatest afflictions are intended to become our greatest blessings, if we handle them right.  A key is to not murmur and complain.

“I think of John Dickson, a former general authority, who lost an arm to cancer as he was preparing for his mission.  The doctor told him that he would die, but he outlived the doctor.  He visited the MTC when my son was there, and challenged the elders to a tie-tying contest.  He won.  He made the statement in general conference that ‘having one arm for nearly thirty years has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.’  (Ensign, November 1992, pg. 45).

“I think of my own daughter who has gone through some very difficult ordeals.  Through it all she has been faithful, and has never allowed herself to murmur about her plight.  Now I sit and marvel over how everything has turned out.  She is bountifully blessed, and it’s because she never let herself murmur and complain in her afflictions.”

In his testimony today Lance Cline mentioned the talk that I gave in the ward three weeks ago.  It’s gratifying to find out that people were listening.  I gave the same talk in Baker Valley Ward on the same day.  Heidi reported that 8-year-old Joshua told her the next day that “I’m going to start remembering to say my prayers every morning and every night.”

“What helped you make that decision?” she asked.

“Grandpa’s talk.”

That’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.

Another was Sally Giles’ answer to the Sunday School question with which I began this article:  “Has there ever been a time when someone’s testimony has made a dramatic and lasting impact on you?”

“Yes,” Sally said.  “It’s anytime James Kerns speaks.  You know that what he says is true!”

I don’t ever want anybody to think that I’m a know-it-all.  I know very little.  But what I do know is that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  Through His Atonement He gave me the ability to repent of my sins.  That is huge.

Because of my repentance and my baptism I received the gift of the Holy Ghost—the right to have the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead.  This is huge.

I hold the Priesthood, the same power that created the earth and that will resurrect the dead.  This is huge.

I have covenants that will return me to God.  This is huge.

And I have the best, most awesome family that’s ever existed.  Why me?

I don’t know much, but I know that these things are true, and that life is easier when you’re active in the Church and in tune with the Spirit.  (Katie’s thought in her testimony today).