I
did not grow up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was just baptized a year and a half ago. Many of my friends and colleagues knew me as
a really nice girl who drank a lot of coffee. They were surprised to hear that
I joined the church, and I would get these anxious calls that went something
like this:
The
tone of their voice when asking contained a bit of judgment (like are you
crazy?) and fear. They were asking a question, but also making a statement about
their opinions of the church. These interactions made me think about people, their
hearts, and what underlies their fearful questions.
Experience
has taught me that most people are looking for peace and happiness. The world teaches
people that happiness comes through the pursuit of self, money, power, and
numerous other false beliefs. In the U.S., we spend hundreds of millions of
dollars a year on books and classes that promise to teach the path to happiness but often push people further away from God. Many people are searching, but how is
it that people get to a point where their hearts are open to listening to the
gospel message?
