by Grace

What if?

by Sister Eddington

I had an opportunity to attend a baptism this evening that changed my life forever!
The bishop of the ward got up and told a little bit of a story that really rang true to me.

Each one of us, in our search for truth/knowledge have had to ask at one point in our lives: "what if?"

Often, these questions lead to great knowledge:

What if the sun doesn't actually go around the earth? 
What if the earth was round and not flat?  
What if we ate this weird mold to cure infection?  
What if we tried chocolate and peanut butter together?

Now, if these questions had not been asked, we would not have gotten very far in science. What about religion?

What if God exists?  
What if He really did love me enough to send His Son to die for my sins? 
What if Joseph Smith really did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?  
What if He really does love me enough to give me direction today through a living prophet?

His story took me to a time when I had begun to ask different questions:

What if I have been lied to all of my life?  
What if this whole Joseph Smith thing is just a hoax?  
What if the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not really His church? 
What if the Book of Mormon was just made up by Joseph Smith?

These are the hard questions.

However, they are questions that each of us needs to address at one point or another in our lives. 

Having taken the rough road--the one where you ask both kinds--I testify that we can receive answers to those, because I did!  I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet, but I don't want you to take my word for it. Do what I did! Ask the questions, do the homework, and "receive" the answers :)

It all comes from faith. We must "experiment" upon the word (Alma 32:26-27).

We must ask God.