I want to start off by
reading a poem by DeLynn Decker called Stepping Stones.
There I was,
Hopscotching on the rocks
In the turbulent stream
Until suddenly
There weren’t any more,
And I stood forlorn,
Feeling stranded.
In stillness He assured,
Be patient.
When it is time
For the next step,
There will be a stone.
Hasn’t it always
Been so?
Isn’t it true that there will always
be another stone? Heavenly Father would never let us fall. As this poem
describes stepping stones that is what I was asked to speak on today, stepping
stones that will lead us to Jesus Christ. I believe that we are given all the
stepping stones, but it is ultimately up to us whether we cross the stream on
these stones provided for us or if we attempt to cross the turbulent stream
without.
When I was asked to talk on this
subject I sat down many times to ponder what I might talk about. Of course I
feel as if I have had many stepping stones that brought me to Jesus Christ, but
how much should I share and how much have I already talked about previously?
What is considered a stepping stone? I feel as if everything in my life has
brought me to closer to Jesus Christ. When I first starting thinking about this
topic I thought maybe the turbulent stream were my mistakes, my sins. But as I
think about it more those things is what has brought me closest to Jesus
Christ.
I think that everyone has different
stepping stones that leads them to Jesus Christ and many of us share a lot of
the common ones, but I can best explain these steps by explaining the steps I
took to get me to Jesus Christ. I had good solid stones growing up. I had two
wonderful parents that I know I was put with for a reason. They helped me
become who I am today. They were a solid foundation for me, but as we all must
do I grew up and had to face life on my own and I was lost in life. I was
raised Catholic and went to church every Sunday, but as soon as I had a chance
to decide for myself I stopped attending. I went years not believing in
anything. I spent almost all of my time with people who were Atheist and it was
easy to get wrapped up in that. I went years where I felt like there were no
stones and that I was almost drowning in the turbulent waters. I know now that
there were stones there all along, but I chose to go thru the water without
them. I started to think that maybe
there was more. I went to many churches and never felt quite right. Then
Heavenly Father put out a big stone for me to see. He gave me a dear friend who
was an amazing example of love and showed true charity. She loved me even when
I made fun of her for drinking water as I sipped on my coffee from Starbucks.
She loved me when I made fun of her beliefs. She loved me enough to feel that I
was worthy enough to be like her and sent the missionaries to talk to me. I am
very straight forward about how I treated the missionaries. I was not a nice
person and I would hide from them. I would make up excuses to avoid having to
talk to them. Their life was not the life I wanted to live.
Then Heavenly Father gave me another stone. He
put some missionaries who took the time to get to know me instead of just try
to teach me. I finally opened up and took the lessons. It took me a year and
half to finally take the biggest step of my life to the next stone. It was a
solid, large rock. I felt there was no way I could fall off. The day I stepped
on this stone was the day I was baptized as well as the day I received the Holy
Ghost. I thought I was safe on this stone. I stayed on there, but I again was
missing so many other stepping stones to get across that I stayed in that one
place. I stayed in the middle of the turbulent waters on this large stone. When
the adversary came in with the worst waters I had ever seen I fell off that
stone head first into the waters. I made the worst decisions of my life and
pulled away from the church. I could not find anything to grab on to in the
waters. I thought for sure I would drown. There were days it felt like it might
be better if I did because I didn’t know how to get out.
But Heavenly Father had a way. He always knew the plan. He had given me
my Savior. He had given me the Atonement. I had heard this lesson so many times
before. I could be forgiven because Jesus Christ died for me. He died and felt
all the things I was going thru. He had always provided me ways to get out of
the waters. He had provided ways for me to quickly get across, but I didn’t see
them. It was then I realized if I stayed on the stones that they were so
closely together that they almost made a bridge. In Doctrine and Covenants
88:63 it says, Draw bnear unto me and I
will draw near unto you; cseek me diligently
and ye shall dfind me; ask, and ye
shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. “There was no reason that I needed to go near the waters. As
long as I draw nearer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ They would draw
nearer to me. However it took me falling in to see that.
Heavenly Father had many stones to remind me of the Atonement and many
things that brought me closer to my Savior. He had given me the scriptures to
read daily so I would always remember, He gave me the sacrament so that every
week I could renew my baptismal covenants, He gave me my callings so that I
could serve, He gave me prayer so that I could speak to him, He gave me a
Prophet and all the presidency in the church to hear from, my patriarchal
blessing. With these things I slowly walked across. I started to do all these
things to ensure I would never come close to drowning again. We must always
remember that Heavenly Father has promised to help us. In Alma 36:3
He gives us this promise, “And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou
art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words
and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their atrust in God shall be
supported in their btrials, and their
troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be clifted up at the last
day.” We have the support. We have the Atonement always. It is for us to use
when needed and we must never be afraid to use it.
Heavenly Father has more plans for us than we could even imagine and
that’s when he threw another stone my way that I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t
convinced that the Single’s Ward was where I belonged, but I thought I’d give
it a try. It wasn’t too many weeks later that Heavenly Father blessed me with
one of the largest stones in my life. He sent me someone to be my eternal
companion. Someone who has become my best friend. When asked to give this talk
on stepping stones the first thing that came to my mind was Clint. Clint has
made it easy to follow Jesus Christ. From day one I have wanted to be the wife
he deserves and he is the main reason I stay on the straight and narrow. I am
afraid that if I budge that I would not be worthy of him. He is my life and if
it weren’t for him I would not be up here today. Heavenly Father saved me by
sending me my husband. We strive daily to ensure we walk across the waters
together. We pray together, we read scriptures together, we do family home
evening together. We ensure that our home is centered around the gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is comforting to walk hand in hand with someone across the
waters. I am clumsy and sometimes stumble, but Clint is always there to hold on
tight so I don’t fall in.
As we walk we have had so many amazing stepping stones. We stepped on to
the next stone as quickly as we could. We went to the temple to be sealed for
all of eternity. This stone is place all across the waters as many of the
others are so it is there to help us all the way across. We step on it often as
it is the best way to be close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have had
our callings that keep us busy and have made us lots of good friends. Both have
kept us going across. Our trip on Trek was a huge stone and it was one we tried
to jump over. As much as we wanted to go we knew the hardships we might face
once returning home, but Heavenly Father kept putting the huge stone in our
way. We realized it was so large that we could not jump over it and so we went.
It was life changing. That is the best way I can describe it. Aside from the no
showering and porter potties I wanted to stay there forever. The Spirit I felt
there was like nothing I have felt.
Going forward we don’t know what
other storms and turbulent waters we may face, but what we do know is that
Heavenly Father will put stones for us. We are only part way across, but we
have faith once we get to the other side of the water that Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ will reach out their hands to help us out.
I have always been very open about my
progression in the church with all who know me because it is so important for
all to know that even if you fall there is always a way back. I know that we
can be forgiven for our sins and remember them no more, but it is remembering
how I felt during all of these times that keeps me on the straight and narrow.
Recently I was talking to a close friend about some things I have gone thru and
I explained to her that those mistakes and how I felt have made me scared to
budge on anything. I am afraid that if I give the adversary even a little bit
that he will somehow take a whole lot. Sin doesn’t start out in a huge way, it
starts out little by little and then Satan slowly chips away at you. I let him
do this to me once before and I never want to feel that way again so I follow
to straight and narrow path. When I need reassurance I find it in Isaiah
Chapter 41 verse 10, “ Fear thou not;
for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help
thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” We must always remember He is there to help us, but we
must be willing to take his help. It is with this assurance that I step from
stone to stone and try to not even get my toes wet. As I have progressed in the
church the stones have gotten closer and closer. I don’t feel as if I am
jumping from one stone to the next with fear of falling in. I don’t have this
fear because I do the things that are asked of me. I try to be faithful to my
Heavenly Father. I try to show my appreciation to Jesus Christ for all He has
done to save me.
I have a testimony that if we use
the stones that are provided for us that the adversary will not pull us in. We
must stay on the stones and trust that Heavenly Father has put them there for a
reason. He has put them there to bring us closer to Him and to Jesus Christ. I
have a testimony of the Atonement. I know that Jesus died for us and that He
felt all that we do in the Garden of Gethsemane. He died so that we may live
with our Father in Heaven. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and know
that if we read our scriptures daily that we will draw closer to thee. I know
that President Thomas S. Monson is a
true Prophet of God and that if we hear his words and live by them that we will
be blessed. If we stay strong and do all that has been asked of us we will get
across the turbulent waters safely and I say these things in the name of Jesus
Christ.
