My testimony

I’m not a scientist, but I have a scientific bent. I poke and prod and push things – to see what happens. I’ve nearly killed myself several times doing that. I’ve driven at high speeds up and down winding mountain roads. I’ve jumped from an airplane at 12,500 feet. I’ve put a garden hose in my mouth and turned it on full blast! I’ve even stuck my head in the mouth of a full-grown barracuda!

Yeah, I’ve done some stupid things.

But my students say I have great stories! And I do! Because I’ve learned a lot. (Note: never stick your head in the mouth of an angry barracuda!)

So what am I doing now with the LDS Church? Why am I poking and prodding and pushing?

Well, like I said before, the Church is a “box” and I want to find out what’s “in” it. (It’s good to “take inventory” from time to time, to see what you’ve really got.) Does the box still hold anything useful for me and my family? Maybe to share with others? Have I added anything of value to the box? Or have I tossed trash into it? Does it hold useful tools? Or mere memorabilia?

Is there any room left in the box for me (to add something else in the future)?

I thought “Let’s pick it up and see! Let’s shake it a little! Does anything come loose, roll around or fall out? Does everything still fit in the box? Does everything work?”

I wanted to know.

When I first got the box, I noticed that it wasn’t mine. (Not all of it, at least.) It clearly said on the outside: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. So it was His Church. He owned it, perhaps in conjunction with the Saints. That was fine with me. Since I was a Latter-day Saint, I imagined I owned a small part of the box, too. (A very small part, maybe 1/15 millioneth!) So each month, I put 10% of my income in the box. Over time, a lot of my life (and money!) went into that box!

Looking more closely, however, after feeding the box for several decades, I noticed someone else had quietly stuck his own name on the box. Fifteen others, in fact, had placed their labels over the name of that first guy -- the one who had assembled the box! -- and his name, like the Owner’s, was written in blood! That first pasted-on label was very old. I could barely read it: “Brigham Young, trustee-in-trust”. But the last label was very easy to read: “Sole Property of Thomas S. Monson, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150”.

Clearly someone thought I didn’t own this box at all! Not even a little bit!

Since my original focus was not on who owned the box, but on what was inside, I opened it to find out. There I discovered layers and layers of “stuff”. There was newer, mostly “synthetic” bubble wrap on top of older, discarded padding. (There was even a few old “bubbles” that hadn't yet been “popped”!) There were lots of cornstarch peanuts, but these hardly served any purpose (from what I could tell) and most just got in the way, obstructing my view.

Underneath, I could see there were “heavier” things -- the “good” stuff -- so I started digging…until I got to the bottom of it.

What I found was extraordinary…a testimony! It was dated November 19, 1977. (That’s when I first opened the box!) The testimony was written down, very elaborately, and filled with details about Jesus Christ, His love for mankind, and His gifts to all of us. There was mention, too, of modern prophets – especially the one who had been killed – and a book or two he translated. That little card said “This testimony is true and faithful” and it was personally signed: “With love to you, my son. -- Jesus.”

I was so happy to find that testimony! I took it out and shared it with all of my friends and family. (Most weren’t very receptive...or appreciative.) But I cherished it, nonetheless.

I looked inside the box for anything else I could use. And I found it! The Book of Mormon! With a few other wonderful books as well! That first book had been badly abused and long neglected. People had tried, since before it was published, to destroy it and, later, to rip it apart! But I found it amazingly truthful and helpful. Clearly, Jesus wanted me to have it! That’s why He put it in the box! I was so grateful. As my family and I read those books together – and applied their principles to our lives – we were enormously blessed. (We’ve been using the “online” versions lately. More convenient!)

Wasn’t there something else in the box? I heard cornstarch peanuts possessed “priesthood power”, but I didn’t see much evidence of that now, though I remembered seeing it before. (Maybe someone took it out and didn’t put it back?) Had the peanuts “gone stale”? I squeezed and poked the bubble wrap, too. It made loud noise…which startled me, at first…but soon I learned it was just air. There was nothing to it.

I had heard the box, originally, was filled with faith and knowledge! But by the time I got it, it held mostly empty wrappers.

I resolved to look around and see if I could find more faith, knowledge, and priesthood power hiding somewhere. I dug deeper into the box, and inadvertently upset some peanuts and popped a few more bubbles. I told others about what I was doing.

Then a knock came at my door. Two guys wearing white shirts – both friends of mine – handed me a letter from the manager of the local box distribution center. The letter suggested that the owner wanted his box back.

 “Which owner?” I asked. “The one who signed His name in blood? Or the one whose name is on the label from Salt Lake City?”

They couldn’t answer my question. And I didn’t wait for their answer.

They could have their box back -- bubble wrap, peanuts and all.

I still have that testimony, signed by Jesus. And I’m going to keep it.