I am amazed every six months how it seems like the things that are spoken about in General Conference were intended just for me or for someone I know. I had the opportunity to invite one of my CrossFit coaches, Josh, to come to the church building to watch it with us. It's always amazing how much more appreciative I am of the truths I have and enjoy when looking at it through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. It was just a really great and humbling experience.
When I was younger, I was afraid of opening my mouth and declaring my faith. That I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I had been the object of persecution for my beliefs and being the shy person I was, it scarred me a little bit. But as I have grown in tandem with my testimony that fear has left me and those wounds of persecution have healed. I no longer fear the opinions of man, because my love of the Savior and His gospel is so secure.
As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stood to speak I turned to Josh and whispered in my most excited reverent voice, "He is one of my favorites!!" When the talk was through, as I wiped tears of wonder, love and gratitude from my cheeks, Josh leaned forward and said "Wow, I can see why he is one of your favorites." Then he added with a chuckle, "And he has great hair too!" Just one of the many things to love about this special apostle of the Lord. He talked about our commitment to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and recounted the story of Christ's visit to Peter on the shore of Galilee after His resurrection. His talk left me with the determination and desire to be able to say when I someday fall at my Savior's feet and if He asks me "Lovest thou me?" like he did to the apostle Peter, I too will be able to respond, "Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." It is my hope that the sincerity of those words will be reflected in the content of my life.
