“Faith is not so much something we believe, Faith is something we live.” - Joseph B Wirthlin 🌱🌿🌳
I’m not quiet about my Faith. It is truly a part of who I am. It always has been. It has been something I have continually worked on all my life. When I was young and lived Missouri, I was the only member of my Faith. My family was the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the whole school. There were a couple of friends who were members of the RLDS (now known as The Community of Christ). I felt a connection with them because at least our religions stemmed from the same founding. Yet, it still was different. I knew this after having conversations with them. And, even though I was the only member of my Faith, I still had great friends who practiced other religions, or none at all. I remember having sleepovers at friends’ homes on Saturday nights, and then waking up on Sunday and going to church with them. I’m so grateful my parents were so open and willing to let me do that. I learned a lot from those experiences, even as a 10 year old, an 11 year old, and a 12 year old. These weren’t 1 time incidents. They were multiple over years. I learned that we could still be friends even though we didn’t believe the same. I learned to give space for different. I learned that others who didn’t belong to my Faith, were good people who valued the same things I valued. This knowledge would serve me well when as a 12 year old my family moved from a small Missouri city of about 60,000 people to Las Vegas, NV that was much bigger and definitely more diverse in EVERYTHING! Again, I learned to love those who were different. I now live where my Faith is the dominant Faith. And you know what I love most? Conversations with those who believe different. And I’m so thankful for those conversations. May we always be willing to share, celebrate, and allow our differences. ❤️ So when I say, “Today, I’m thankful for my Faith in God,” every person I’ve come to know has helped build that Faith. So thank you!
