"You honestly cannot know something like that", the man said.
"Sir, I do know and you can know for yourself as well. My testimony is something that you can't take away from me", I said.
"Oh yes I can", he said.
The conversation ended and we went on our way, but it got me thinking--this man has every freedom of religion that I have, but he simply cannot take my testimony away from me.
A testimony is the knowledge and witness that you've received from the Holy Ghost of the truthfulness of the gospel. It's like a rare posession--something that you hold dear and take good care of. Something that is literally yours and no one else's.
People spend much of their lives trying to acquire many valuable posessions in their life. Whether it's the latest iPod, most advanced smartphone, brand new car etc. While these things may bring temporary pleasure, they will all eventually break, rust and decay. A thief might steal it or natural disaster may bring it to its end.
But a testimony--that's yours to keep.
My favorite post so far Elder White. I'm going to quote you in my Seminary lesson tomorrow: "This man has every freedom of religion that I have, but he simply cannot take my testimony away from me." I'll be coming to your website to help me with more unique approaches & ideas to liken the scriptures for the students in my Seminary class.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that this helped :)
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine former author Viktor Frankl is now in the spirit world adding to his message about no one else being able to control a person's attitude, and now I can picture him joyfully teaching people that no one else can have power over a person's testimony, because it's an integral part of each of us.
ReplyDeleteThe most powerful witness to know anything is to have it confirmed through the Holy Ghost, because that brings a true change of heart. Eyewitnesses to miracles, angelic visitations, or the gold plates do not have as much power as the testimony of the Holy Ghost. It speaks on a level that transcends our natural senses.
The way truths are revealed to us is through the Holy Ghost, because if we attempt to do this only intellectually, we're missing a key component of the Spirit, which is what reaches our deepest emotions and innermost being. This all ties in to how love, or charity, works. That's why it's impossible to put into words how much you love someone, because this spirit of love is on a different level from any other process. And no one is able dispute that.