2.17 What You Have Felt is Real and Nothing Will Change That

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth, a bold reminder that our lives are meant to carry his flavor, his truth, and his love to the world. Join me each day to explore one verse of scripture and one thought, striving to stay full of savor and truly live as savory salt. Hello, my friends.

Great to have you with me. Today, let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. Today will be the last day that we dive into Joseph Smith—History as we read chapter 1, verses 21–26.

Our next two days for the rest of this week are going to be focused on our Book of Mormon readings, which are chapters 4 through 8. Remember that I've provided for you for this week a download to the pacing so hopefully you can find that inside of whatever platform you use to listen to these episodes. As we dive into this final section here, we find out that Joseph as a 14-year-old boy tried to share his experience of the First Vision with several people that he respected, adults in his life.

And it takes us to an interesting point of his reflection where he pauses and connects himself to Paul a little bit. And I wanted to share that one for our verse for today. It's inside Joseph Smith—History, chapter 1, verse 24.

Joseph said this, Now this one's a long verse. Thanks for sticking with me through that one. But there's such a key point inside of here that I think all of us can have and remember the way that Joseph remembered throughout his life.

The spiritual experiences that you and I have had are real. What you have felt in your life, what you have experienced or seen in your life, the spiritual promptings you have had in your life are real. And whatever level of faith you're experiencing today does not change the reality of those spiritual experiences that you've had.

All of us go through faith challenges throughout our lives, and some of us get to the level of considering leaving our faith or even just disregarding it altogether. Claiming that if any of it is not true, all of it must be untrue. And the point that I want to hold on to for all of us is to remember that whatever challenge you're facing today, whatever faith challenge it is today, think upon the times when you have had spiritual impressions.

Those are real. Joseph knew it. Paul knew it.

And now you and I can know it as well. The Lord gives us spiritual direction in our lives and whether we are on a faith upward trajectory or a faith spiral in challenge, the fact that we have had those spiritual experiences will never change. I love that.

It helps me on my hard and difficult days. It helps me on those days when I'm feeling just a little bit less because I can turn back to those days and say, I know what I felt. I know what I experienced.

Those are real experiences. That's all for today, my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice.

Cleave to the covenants you have made and together we will be savory salt. For more information, visit us at www.fema.org.