Joseph Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont in December of 1805 to a family who loved God and was deeply rooted in a belief in the Savior, Jesus Christ. His parents taught their children to love God and to love the scriptures.
When he was 14 years old, there was great religious excitement in his hometown. His family soon began to attend the Presbyterian faith and four of them joined the church. Joseph, however, became confused by the many differing and contending doctrines that were taught in the different denominations.
He noted, "...so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right..."
He continued, "While I was laboring under [these] extreme difficulties, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
This passage of scripture struck him with great force and as he pondered on it he came to the conclusion that this would provide the solution to his dilemma.
He simply needed to ask God.
One spring morning in 1820, Joseph went to a grove of trees near his home. He knelt and began to offer a heartfelt prayer, seeking answers in the midst of so much confusion and uncertainty.
"Immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me...the power of some actual being from the unseen world..."
Continuing to cry out in his heart to God, for he was unable to speak, Joseph said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. They spoke to him and taught him. His question of 'which church should I join?' was answered with, "They [are] all wrong." He was told that he would be called to restore the fullness of Christ's church to the earth, just as it was organized while Christ, Himself was on the earth. He would be given power and authority to do so. In a later vision, Joseph was told that his name "should be had for good and evil among all nations..." and that he would be instrumental in bringing forth a book of scripture that should stand as a second testimony to the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
He was given the answer that he had been searching for. He was given a miraculous vision, a prophetic calling. He knew that Christ lived "for [he] saw Him, even on the right hand of God."
Few of us will see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ while we live here on earth. However, we can come to know for ourselves that They live, that they are in fact two distinct and separate Beings, and that our prayers are heard and answered. We can come to know that God loves us and that He truly is the Father of our spirits. We can come to know that Jesus is the Christ. All it takes is some honest and sincere study of the scriptures, prayer, and intent to act on the answer that you receive.
Before my eighth birthday, I began reading the Book of Mormon from the very beginning because my dad had suggested it.
Before I began reading I knelt down like I had been taught and offered what was probably a very simply prayer. I remember asking to know if The Book of Mormon was true. I got up, pulled out my scriptures and began reading from the title page. I read the Introduction and the Testimonies of the 3 and 8 Witnesses. Then I reached The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
As I read about his experiences and read his own words, I felt something that I had never felt before. It was as if a little flame was burning behind my sternum. I felt warm and happy.
After pondering for a couple of moments on what this could be, I ran upstairs and described to my mother what I was feeling.
"That's the Spirit."
The role of the Spirit is to testify of truth.
I knew she was right. I was feeling the Spirit. I couldn't deny it.
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