Today in Collegiate, as we sang through some of the songs, I had a thought occur to me as we sang through number eight ("He Lives!"). The lyrics--where I had my thought--are this: "For we saw him, heard him, and we know that He lives! He lives, and we know He lives!" That is repeated several times at the very end! Even as I sang these words, I thought to myself "Well, I haven't seen Him with my physical eyes, nor have I heard His voice physically. So, how do I know that He lives?" Well, after some thought, this is how I've concluded that I know He lives; true, I haven't seen God physically in my life. However, I have seen His hand in my life every day! He has blessed me so much (sometimes more than I think I deserve) with a loving family, wonderful friends, and best of all His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was willing to die for me so that I may return to my Heavenly Father one day. I also have not heard His physical voice, but I have heard the men that He has called to guide and direct me today. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God! I know that, in the year 1820, God did in fact appear to a young boy who had a question about which church was true. That young boy, Joseph Smith, was then guided and directed by God to restore the true church on the earth! I know that God speaks through His prophets today.
Because of these simple things that I know and believe to be true, I know and believe that He--Jesus Christ--lives! Not only did He live in ancient times, but He lives even today! He died for the sins of every individual on this earth. I don't think saying "He died for the sins of the world" because I feel that is too general. Although it is true, I know that He died for each of us individually!
Well, day one is over. I can’t believe it! We came to the Stephens Center at Idaho State University. I felt more than excited to get off of the bus and sing! The building was absolutely beautiful! The architecture and the cleanliness was fantastic! I wish I had pictures of it, but I did not. We went into their beautiful auditorium and sang through a few of the rough spots. As we sang through, I couldn’t help but think about my own testimony of this work. I wouldn’t say it is weak, but I didn’t feel it was as strong as I would like it to be.
We then went for dinner at a nearby Stake center; it was a very quick bite. We were then asked to quickly change and get ready for the concert. I was so excited; I’m surprised I didn’t explode from all of the excitement! We got ready to take the stage, and it got a little hectic. We weren’t lined up, so we decided to just walk on (it wasn’t something that we had really thought of before, because in the BYU-Idaho Center and in Salt Lake, we won’t be entering). I quickly realized how much I appreciated the chairs in the I-Center, we had to stand for the duration of the oratorio. Almost as quickly, I didn’t really care! I could feel the spirit as soon as the music started.
As we went through, there were a few of the songs that really touched me. The first one was movement 3, “The Love of God”. It had never really touched me as much as it did tonight. I could almost imagine my Heavenly Father sitting in the audience just smiling at the orchestra and choir, Several times through out the piece, I felt like He was hugging me or smiling at me. I truly believe that He was there with us. This performance I completely dedicate to Him, this entire TOUR I dedicate to my loving Heavenly Father!
The second piece that really touched me was movement 4, “O Ye Fair Ones”. That one has always been really touching, but I did actually cry! Tears were coming out from my eyes! The spirit was so powerful! I couldn’t help but ask myself “How many times have I rejected the Savior, who stood with open arms?” and my heart sank as I realized I have done is several times. I felt horrible and close to nothing as I thought of those times, whether they were intentional or not (there weren’t many intentional). As we moved into the section about Joseph Smith, my heart was overwhelmed with the thought of repentance. I have the wonderful blessing of being able to repent any time of the day! What greater blessing is there? I submit that there isn’t one!
The other movement that really touched me was movement 8, “He Lives!” As I mentioned earlier, I had a completely different mindset when I sang it this time. Remembering that I have seen Him, I see Him in my life daily. I have heard Him; He has sent prophets and leaders to guide me today! I know that my Redeemer lives!!
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