Friday, December 5, 2008

The Gospel Brings Wholeness into our Lives by Erin Evenson

Wholeness and being whole is an idea that we have really seen in the book of Mormon. Wholeness has been an important aspect of my life and has been one thing that has really changed for me over the past couple of years upon discovering the gospel. When I first decided to write about wholeness I decided to find out what the word really means. When I looked it up I found that wholeness means “The quality or state of being whole, entire, or sound; entireness; totality; completeness.” I think this is a pretty good description of someone who has the gospel in their lives. Wholeness not only means being physically whole, but mentally whole. I am so grateful to be physically whole and healthy but am most grateful for the mental wholeness that the gospel blesses us with.

In the definition of wholeness it says it means complete. One of the first things I think about when I’m thinking about wholeness and the gospel is when we feel incomplete. When our lives feel like there is something missing and we feel the need to pray to our Heavenly father. In Ps. 119:145 it says “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes.” When we pray we must pray with our whole hearts and submit our whole selves to the will of the Lord. This is one thing that people often struggle with and believe that we will receive answers to our prayers if we pray half-heartedly.

If we find it in ourselves to pray with our whole hearts, we will be fully answered by the Lord. In John 5:11 it says “He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” When one of Heavenly Father’s children feels incomplete and is willing to come unto him with their whole heart, he will answer by making them whole again. This reminds me of when I was investigating the church and didn’t know if I should get baptized. I knew that I felt happy and safe when I came to church but I didn’t know if that was enough. The first time I prayed about it I was unsure about how do pray and what I was even asking. As I learned more about the gospel I learned you have to pray with your whole heart if you want an answer. I was at first disappointed when I was not answered right away and couldn’t understand why Heavenly Father would ignore me when I was trying to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. Finally I prayed and was able to talk to Heavenly Father like he was my friend and finally understood that he knows me better than anyone and will answer in the way that’s best for me.

I also have found that when many people have faith in the Lord with their whole hearts, the world finds itself at peace. In Isa. 14:7 it says “The whole earth is at arest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.” When we know that we have a Heavenly Father and that Jesus died for our sins, it brings us comfort and peace in our hearts. It also brings us joy to know about the plan of salvation and that we will be able to live with our families forever. When we give ourselves wholly to the gospel we are blessed with eternal happiness. When we know this we have the ability to bring happiness into the lives of others as well. This is when peace and joy are present in the whole world and in the people around us through our service and love for one another.

I listened to an Oprah Winfrey talk once and she said “The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” I think the whole purpose of the gospel is to help us live up to our mental, physical and spiritual potential. Through the gospel and through our faith in the Lord we find completeness. In “How Great the Wisdom and the Love” it says “how great, how glorious, how complete, Redemption’s grand design, where justice, love, and mercy meet, In harmony divine!” The gospel and the Lord bring completeness into our lives! I testify that the gospel has made my life more complete and without it I would have a missing part of me.

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Works Cited

The Book of Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Lds.org

Google.com

8 comments:

Amanda S. said...

Erin, great job with using main ideas to begin you paragraphs! Your blog is really focused. Sounds great!

Kamrie said...

great job! I love how you defined what the term "whole" means at the beginning of the blog.

Jenni Perkins said...

I love your topic of wholeness. I am able to relate to sometimes not being 'whole' or 'complete' and your blog helps me realize how i can become whole. Your personal example is really good

jackie said...

Your blog was awesome. You really made it clear what it means to be whole. You did well with making personal connections that kept me interested. Good job!

Roy Tialavea said...

Another ridiculously terrific blog from our class. Great Job! I like how you gave the definition of wholeness and showed how thats pretty much what a person in tune with the gospel is. Fantastic Blog!

D-Weezy said...

i enjoyed the comment "When we give ourselves wholly to the gospel we are blessed with eternal happiness". You have a great knowledge of the topic. Thanks for you insight and for your experiences in which you shared.

Savanna Stradling Bassett said...

This is a very different topic, but I love it! Thank you for your personal experiences! And thank you for youre sweer testimony!

Unknown said...

loved how you said that the gospel is whole. I never really thought of it like that.