Gospel Story Finder

In 1988, I went with other British teachers to teach at a school in Sudan. The children were delightful, and we quickly adjusted to the rigors of living in a developing country. Our employer, however, turned out to be an oppressive leader who persecuted anyone he perceived as opposing him in any way. He hated me from the day I stood up for someone he had abused.
One day he called me into his office. For over half an hour, he subjected me to all manner of verbal abuse and threats. I left the room in a state of shock. I have no memory of how I got through the rest of the school day. All evening I could not get his terrible words out of my mind.
At bedtime, I sat on my bed and read the scriptures. Then I knelt and fervently prayed for comfort and relief, but I felt none. I got into bed but couldn’t sleep. Twice more I got up, read, knelt, and prayed, but to no avail.
“Oh, well,” I thought, “Heavenly Father doesn’t always answer our prayers how and when we want.” I resigned myself to a wretched, sleepless night.
But as I lay down again, I thought, “There’s one more thing I can do.” I started to repeat the words of the temple ordinances to myself in my mind. As I did this, a wondrous miracle happened. All the misery and darkness flowed out of me, and the most wonderful peace and joy flowed in and filled my entire being.
I arose and prayed, giving tearful thanks to Heavenly Father. Then I got back into bed and slept. The next day, which should have been full of fear and misery, was the happiest day I have ever spent with a class of children.
I realized that the Lord had wanted me to ponder the temple ordinances. To the Saints crossing the plains after receiving their blessings in the Nauvoo Temple, President Brigham Young (1801–1877) said, “Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable.” As our temple covenants burn in our hearts and minds, we also will find strength, peace, and comfort.

My name is Garrett. Something weird happened to me today. I got a lot of bumps on my arms, but I wasn’t even cold. In fact it was a really warm day. Mom said I got the bumps because I liked the violin music we were listening to so much. I think she’s right. Otherwise, why would I have a poster of a famous violin player hanging in my room?
Guess what! Mom and Dad said I could take violin lessons! I’m so excited for my first lesson. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Redman. I’ll meet her tomorrow. I can hardly believe I’m going to learn to play the violin!
I still want to play the violin, but why does it have to be so hard? I wish I could play as well as the violinist on my wall. Mom says I should just be my own best self and not compare myself with anybody else. Besides, I haven’t been taking lessons that long.
I’m getting a little better at the violin, but I still get pretty frustrated sometimes. Dad says it takes time to develop a talent. He says Heavenly Father gives us all different gifts. That’s another word for talents. Some people are good at singing or listening or other stuff. Dad says God wants us to work on our talents so we can help other people.
Today at my lesson, Mrs. Redman said the biggest part of getting better is to practice, practice, practice. She said we have to take care of our talents the same way a farmer takes care of the crops in his fields. That way, they will grow. She said, “If a farmer didn’t tend his crops every day, they wouldn’t grow well at all.” I think she’s probably right.
Mom and Dad said I’m sounding pretty good on the violin. I wonder if they said that just to make me feel better so I won’t give up. Because it’s funny how when I practice, they find a reason to go somewhere else—like outside or down the street.
Tonight I played the violin in front of the whole ward. It was for our talent show. I was so nervous. When I played “I Am a Child of God,” I saw Sister Palmer crying. Then I saw Mom wiping her eyes too. I thought maybe it was because I was playing so badly.
Afterward Sister Palmer came up to me. She said I played the song so beautifully it made her cry. Mom said her tears were happy tears. Dad hugged me so hard I thought I was going to burst.
I’m still working on the violin. I practice almost every day. I know I can get better at it. I want to make my talent grow so I can be my own best self. Maybe someday I can even play in a real concert hall.

Heber Jeddy Grant was tall, thin, and not very strong. He played baseball with the younger boys because he couldn’t throw the ball very far.
Jeddy wanted to play ball with the boys his own age, so he spent many hours shining boots to earn enough money to buy a baseball.
When Jeddy had earned a dollar, he bought a baseball. Then he practiced countless hours throwing it against his neighbor’s barn.
Finally Jeddy’s skill improved. The boys his own age were impressed with how well he could throw a ball, and they let him play baseball with them.
Eventually Jeddy’s baseball team became the territory champions; they went on to beat the championship teams of California, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Heber Jeddy Grant learned the importance of setting and achieving goals. This ability helped him greatly when he became the seventh President of the Church.

Clowning around paid off for Jo-Anne Connors of the Plymouth England Stake. The business she created with a couple of friends won her first-place honors in a youth-in-business competition sponsored by Lloyd’s Bank.
The aim of their business was to provide catering, entertainment, and game supervision for children’s parties. It was considerably more wholesome than the second- and third-place winners, a home brewing company and some wine importers. Great organization was a major factor in their winning honors, but the positive objectives of the business couldn’t have hurt either.

When Joseph Smith was nearly 18 years old, he wanted to know his standing before the Lord and to repent of his weaknesses. As he prayed, he was visited by the angel Moroni. Moroni told him that God had an important work for him, and then he told him of gold plates buried in a hill not far from his home. The next day, Joseph went to the spot, unearthed the stone box, and reached in to grab the plates. Oliver Cowdery wrote in an early Church publication that, as Joseph did so, he immediately received a shock from an unseen source that stunned his whole body. Eager to retrieve the treasure, he tried again and received another shock. Finally, thinking he just needed to exert more physical strength, he lunged for the plates only to receive the strongest shock yet. With anguish he cried out, "Why can't I obtain this book?"[1]

In a moment, Moroni was by his side and said, "Because [Joseph] you have not kept the commandments of the Lord."[2] For this great young man, who had just the night before received God's approval to bring forth the plates, this was troubling. What had he done? Although he'd been sternly warned by Moroni the night before to "be on his guard,"[3] according to Cowdery's account, as Joseph walked to the Hill Cumorah that morning and then uncovered the golden plates, he was influenced by two competing invisible powers working on his mind: one power from heaven prompting him to have the work and will of God as his only motive, and another power whispering he should sell the plates for riches, fame and an easy life. His mind would go back and forth between the reflections.[4]

Upon being shocked, Joseph realized he had been momentarily persuaded by the devil, and he turned to the Lord in prayer. As he prayed, his soul was lit up with the Holy Spirit as Moroni showed a sobering vision of "the prince of darkness [Satan], surrounded by his innumerable train of associates."[5] Just picture that–Lucifer, himself, and an endless throng of devils all gathered on the hillside united in their efforts to stop this young man. Wow! Moroni then said to Joseph, "All this is shown, that you may never be influenced or overcome by that wicked one."[6]

Through these experiences, Joseph learned that the whispers to seek worldly things brought darkness and confusion, while the thoughts of doing God's will, rather than his own, brought light and spirit. These were important lessons for the future prophet. Joseph then received an important charge from Moroni–to obtain the plates and accomplish the work of God, he must have a "pure heart" and "an eye single to the glory of God."[7]

While I was on my mission in Hungary, I met a woman named Mária Erdõs, who exemplified the spirit of charitable service. During the German occupation of Hungary during World War II, her family opened their cellar to three young Jewish men attempting to escape deportation to the concentration camps. During this time signs were posted throughout her town threatening those who were hiding Jews and encouraging people to be on the lookout for suspicious signs—such as additional laundry hanging out to dry—that might indicate families who were harboring Jews. Despite these dangers, Mária’s family continued caring for the three men.

Unfortunately, one of them became sick. The family tried to nurse him back to health, but it became apparent that he was in need of real medical attention. Summoning a doctor, however, would mean risking their safety because of possible betrayal. Taking the advice of some friends who testified to his trustworthiness, Mária approached the head doctor of her town’s steel factory. On her way to the hospital to consult with Dr. Döffinger, Mária encountered a crowd gathered around a man who had been hanged from a lamppost. There was a sign tied around his neck that read, “Jew-hiding traitor. This is what happens to all traitors to their homeland.”

Mária, justifiably, was deeply disturbed by the scene. She knew the man and his family and struggled to understand and face her fears. She said, “He was a miner with six children, the father of a truly good Hungarian family. . . . I walked in front of this and read [the sign] and thought . . . of the Jews in our cellar. . . . You don’t know what it was like for me walking all the way down the main street [to visit the doctor] after seeing the sight of the hanged man.”

Despite her fears, Mária approached the doctor with her situation, and he agreed to help. Consciousness of the danger they faced made him share many of Mária’s reservations. She recalled, “[He] believed at first that I was testing him or something, but after that, we read in each other’s eyes that everything was in order.” Dr. Döffinger did indeed visit the family that evening, and through the course of several visits, they became close friends. The Jewish young man was nursed back to health. He survived the war in the Erdõs’ cellar.

I have often asked myself how Mária summoned the strength and courage to serve in this way. Her view is best summed up in her own words: “I didn’t need thanks for [my actions]; I fulfilled my obligation.”

The first account is by Lynette Hendricks--a great friend and my other visiting teacher: My first visit to the Sacred Grove was an incredible spiritual experience--absolutely everything I had hoped it would be! My husband wasn't able to be with me on that particular trip, so we saved our money and planned a short vacation to New York specifically to visit the Sacred Grove.

I was particularly excited the morning my husband and I would visit the grove together. I had looked forward to sharing this special place. The Spirit is strong there; you can feel it. I just knew he wouldn't be disappointed!

We entered the grove on a hot, humid day, and the cool shade from the trees overhead offered immediate relief.

I could feel the sweet wash of the Spirit that I had so counted on. We found one of the benches strategically placed along the pathways inside the grove and sat down to soak it all in--but it was not to last for long.

We had been followed into the grove that morning by another tourist. As he walked past us, his phone rang rather loudly. He answered and launched into conducting a lengthy business conversation over his phone. We moved to a different location, but it was to no avail. His voice carried well and followed us all over the grove. I hoped he would finish so that the peace of the place could return, but he did not.

Sometimes there is no way to mask or soften or make right an interruption on a sacred moment. We left the grove, his phone conversation following us.[18]

“By our standards the villagers of San Gabriel had very little, but they gave beyond their means. We were constantly showered with gifts of flowers, food, and mementos. But our first realization of how much they cared was exemplified by a six-year-old girl. As we were leaving the village after our fourth visit, young Cielo ran up to us with a bouquet of flowers. Before she could speak she burst into tears. After moments of surprise and confusion we were told that she had to return to school the next week and would not be able to attend our lessons again. Her unexpected display of emotion touched us deeply. As we tried to hold back our own tears, we assured her that we would visit her on Sunday.
“There were other such incidents during those weeks that also left lasting impressions, but our final visit was a fitting climax. As we sat in that humble, one-room chapel for the last time and felt the rain trickle in through the leaking roof, we were moved. We couldn’t hold back the tears as the members presented each of us with an onyx necklace they had made themselves. Through her tears one sister commented, ‘The chapel cries too because you must leave us!’
“As one man handed us each a box of candy, he earnestly asked us to convey the love of the Mexican people to the Saints in the United States.
“He wanted us to know that they too love the gospel. He wanted the world to know that Saints exist in San Gabriel.”
Carol Peterson, Fort Worth, TexasStana Smoot, Centerville, Utah

Clarence stared out the car window as the harbor came into view. Boats floated in the water in front of colorful houses and shops. Copenhagen, Denmark, was a beautiful city filled with palaces, mansions, and parks. It was not at all like Clarence’s hometown in Utah, USA. Clarence could picture the dusty streets where he ran races as a boy. Now he was a member of the United States track team, and tomorrow he would be facing a famous Danish runner in an important race.
The car stopped at a small chapel where a Church meeting had already started.
As Clarence slipped into the back of the meeting, one of the missionaries sitting on the stand recognized him from a news article about tomorrow’s race. The branch president asked Clarence to come up and speak.
After Clarence told why he was visiting, a boy stood up and raised his hand. “Do you think you can beat the Danish champion?” he asked.
Clarence wasn’t sure what to say. The Danish runner did have a better time in the mile that season.
“Of course he can,” said one of the missionaries before Clarence could answer. “Because he lives the Word of Wisdom.” He opened his scriptures to Doctrine and Covenants 89. He read the promise that those who keep the Word of Wisdom “shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint” (verse 20).
Clarence saw a long row of boys looking up at him. What could he say? As a child he had promised to always keep the Word of Wisdom. But that alone didn’t mean he could win this race. Winning also required practice and skill. As Clarence left the meeting, he thought, Well, no one from church will be at the race tomorrow anyway.
The next evening as Clarence was warming up for his race, he looked up and saw the two missionaries with a group of about 17 boys. They had come!
As they got closer, one of the missionaries whispered to Clarence, “If you’ve ever run fast in your life, you’d better run fast tonight.” Many of the boys weren’t members of the Church but had come with their friends to see if the Word of Wisdom was really true.
Clarence was worried. In this race, his best might not be good enough. But he was running for a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had to win. He had never prayed to win before, but he found an empty room to kneel and pray.
He prayed, “Father in Heaven, I know the Word of Wisdom is true, and I have never broken it. Please bless me with victory in this race.” As he walked out to the starting line, he knew Heavenly Father had heard his prayer. He trusted Heavenly Father’s will.
The evening was rainy and muddy. As Clarence began the race, it seemed just like many other mile races he had run. The pace was fast, and the Danish champion was ahead. But as Clarence finished the third lap, suddenly he was not tired anymore. He started running faster, and it didn’t hurt. Going even a little faster still didn’t hurt. He passed the Danish champion and still went faster.
As Clarence came around the turn, his coach yelled, “Slow down! You’ll never make the finish line!” But Clarence knew he could keep running. And when he finished the race, he was more than 50 yards (46 m) ahead of the Danish runner! He knew he had won because Heavenly Father had answered his prayer and because the Word of Wisdom is true.
Clarence F. Robison raced in the 1948 Summer Olympics and became a great college track coach. When he was young, he promised his mother he would always keep the Word of Wisdom. He knew this wouldn’t make him win all his races. But he knew that Heavenly Father could help him do his best when he was clean and worthy and faithful.

My father was in the stake presidency in our small farming community, Preston, Idaho, and General Authorities visited our home quite often. When I was eleven years old, President George Albert Smith came to Preston to participate in a Boy Scout function. He had breakfast in our home, and he told our family of a spiritual experience that he had had. He said that when he was a young boy about my age, he had a great desire to know if there was, in fact, a God. He believed the story of Joseph Smith going into the Sacred Grove and seeing the face of and hearing the voice of Heavenly Father. For several years, President Smith said, he prayed every night that God would answer his prayers to tell him whether there was a God. After several years of earnest prayer each night, he heard the voice of the Lord say to him that indeed there was a God. This answer was in response to his faith and his perseverance. I have always remembered that story. It taught me both faith in prayer and the importance of taking our pleadings to the Lord.

The reality of professional singing, which included being absent from my family for up to eight weeks at a time during touring productions, was like a splash of cold water. The old, nagging questions surfaced. What had I done? Had I left my job and dragged my little family far away from the security of a comfortable life for this? Had I really acted upon inspiration or should I let my dreams die and simply bury them? Things were definitely not turning out the way we had envisioned, and for the first time I was really afraid.

When I took these doubts and fears and laid them at the Lord’s feet, the answer to our dilemma came as dramatically and miraculously as our directive to leave Overton. During one of our long-distance telephone conversations I told my wife about several of my colleagues in the touring group that had spent some time in Europe. There it was possible to be a member of an opera company, keep regular hours, have health and retirement benefits, and, best of all, stay in one place. It sounded like a dream come true. We had only one problem: how would we finance an audition tour to Europe?

Absolutely no one knew of our conversation. A short time after our talk and heartfelt prayer, a dear friend called. To my utter amazement he brought up the subject of a European audition tour and offered to finance the trip. With tears of joy and unbelievable gratitude we thanked our Heavenly Father for such an incredible miracle and the generosity of such a spiritually sensitive friend. I made my reservations shortly thereafter, boarded the plane in New York, and three weeks later miraculously had a job in a beautiful city, the oldest city in Germany: Trier.

In the words of a well-known song, I wish you could “come fly with me” to eastern Germany, where I visited last month. As we traveled along the autobahns, I reflected on a time twenty-seven years before when I saw on the same autobahns just trucks carrying armed soldiers and policemen. Barking dogs everywhere strained on their leashes, and informers walked the streets. Back then, the flame of freedom had flickered and burned low. A wall of shame sprang up, and a curtain of iron came down. Hope was all but snuffed out. Life, precious life, continued on in faith, nothing wavering. Patient waiting was required. An abiding trust in God marked the life of each Latter-day Saint.
When I made my initial visit beyond the wall, it was a time of fear on the part of our members as they struggled in the performance of their duties. I found the dullness of despair on the faces of many passersby but a bright and beautiful expression of love emanating from our members. In Görlitz the building in which we met was shell-pocked from the war, but the interior reflected the tender care of our leaders in bringing brightness and cleanliness to an otherwise shabby and grimy structure. The Church had survived both the war and the Cold War which followed. The singing of the Saints brightened every soul. They sang the old Sunday School favorite:
If the way be full of trial; Weary not!
If it’s one of sore denial, Weary not!
If it now be one of weeping,
There will come a joyous greeting,
When the harvest we are reaping—Weary not!
Do not weary by the way,
Whatever be thy lot;
There awaits a brighter day
To all, to all who weary not!
I was touched by their sincerity. I was humbled by their poverty. They had so little. My heart filled with sorrow because they had no patriarch. They had no wards or stakes—just branches. They could not receive temple blessings—neither endowment nor sealing. No official visitor had come from Church headquarters in a long time. The members were forbidden to leave the country. Yet they trusted in the Lord with all their hearts, and they leaned not to their own understanding. In all their ways they acknowledged Him, and He directed their paths. I stood at the pulpit, and with tear-filled eyes and a voice choked with emotion, I made a promise to the people: “If you will remain true and faithful to the commandments of God, every blessing any member of the Church enjoys in any other country will be yours.”
That night as I realized what I had promised, I dropped to my knees and prayed, “Heavenly Father, I’m on Thy errand; this is Thy church. I have spoken words that came not from me, but from Thee and Thy Son. Wilt Thou, therefore, fulfill the promise in the lives of this noble people.” There coursed through my mind the words from the psalm: “Be still, and know that I am God.” The heavenly virtue of patience was required.
Little by little the promise was fulfilled. First, patriarchs were ordained, then lesson manuals produced. Wards were formed and stakes created. Chapels and stake centers were begun, completed, and dedicated. Then, miracle of miracles, a holy temple of God was permitted, designed, constructed, and dedicated. Finally, after an absence of fifty years, approval was granted for full-time missionaries to enter the nation and for local youth to serve elsewhere in the world. Then, like the wall of Jericho, the Berlin Wall crumbled, and freedom, with its attendant responsibilities, returned.
All of the parts of the precious promise of twenty-seven years earlier were fulfilled, save one. Tiny Görlitz, where the promise had been given, still had no chapel of its own. Now even that dream became a reality. The building was approved and completed. Dedication day dawned. Just a month ago, Sister Monson and I, along with Elder and Sister Dieter Uchtdorf, held a meeting of dedication in Görlitz. The same songs were sung as were rendered twenty-seven years earlier. The members knew the significance of the occasion, marking the total fulfillment of the promise. They wept as they sang. The song of the righteous was indeed a prayer unto the Lord and had been answered with a blessing upon their heads.
At the conclusion of the meeting we were reluctant to leave. As we did so, seen were the waving hands of all, heard were the words, “Auf Wiedersehen, auf Wiedersehen; God be with you till we meet again.”

I love seminary. I have often felt the Spirit there and have left feeling like a better person. On one particular day, however, I not only left feeling the Spirit, but I left with an answer to prayer.
The night before that particular day, I had asked Heavenly Father if the Church was true. After my prayer, I felt peaceful, but I was still not sure. I decided I would sleep on it.
The next day, my seminary teacher started the lesson with a video of some of the General Authorities bearing their testimonies. I felt the Spirit burning inside of me as we talked about testimonies and how little things can strengthen them.
He then put in another video of testimonies of kids who went to my school. I stared at the screen waiting for someone I knew. I saw some people I recognized, but I saw no close friends.
Then it happened. A girl I look up to so much appeared on the screen. As I looked into her eyes, she bore her testimony about Christ’s Atonement. Then she said these words: “I know this Church is true.” The Spirit overcame me. I realized my prayer was answered, and it was answered by one of the people that I look up to the most.
Heavenly Father knew that I needed to hear someone very close to me share her testimony of the Church. I am so grateful for the strong testimonies my friends have. Heavenly Father does answer our prayers.

At the time of this writing, we have made three collecting trips, each of which has netted us different types of sea life. Our second time out, for instance, we caught about a hundred small grunion that swim about out pond in their own private school. Their numbers have gradually decreased, however, for two large flounders and some sea bass that inhabit the pond help themselves to a few grunions whenever we forget to feed the larger fish their daily ration of freshwater minnows.

At this point, we feel that we have accomplished most of what we set out to do. In spite of all of the reasons everyone offered as to why we could not establish a salt water ecosystem in our backyard, we have done so.
Our efforts are now directed toward studying it and learning all we can about its physics, chemistry, and biology. Twice daily we measure water temperatures at eleven different places in the pond, along with air temperature and humidity. This is done just after sunrise, when it is coolest, and late in the afternoon, when temperatures are generally at their maximum. We also keep notes on biological events of interest, such as the spawning of sea hares and some of the fish.

In time, the data gathered will serve as a basis for science fair projects as well as for scientific articles that we will write on these subjects. We have even formed our own research corporation to study these and other aspects of the world around us and have embarked on a great family adventure that is truly a new frontier for our family. And more than ever before we appreciate our Heavenly Father’s plan for family associations.

Elder Lund leaves soon for his mission. He told us, “I worked at a dry cleaner for two years. I found the position when I took a buddy to his interview. He told the lady he couldn’t take the job because of the hours but that I could. I did. I worked the cash register, took in dirty clothes, and gave out the clean ones. I also cleaned up after closing. When I started the job I was very shy. I learned to speak up and explain things to people. I gained a lot of confidence. Now I don’t have trouble communicating with people.
“My brother and I bought broken lawn mowers, repaired them, and sold them for a profit. We didn’t have to spend money for parts. They just needed our mechanical knowledge.
“I put my money into a savings account. I recommend everyone use a savings account. But give the bankbook to your mom so you can’t take the money out again. You need to start early in life to save because you can’t cram in the last few months like you might for a test.”

Until recently, football, school, and church had always been things that I dealt with separately and tried to balance. After the football season, we were having player meetings with my football coach. He talked to me about leadership and how I could be a better leader. He said something interesting I never expected.
He said, “So I know you’re planning on serving a mission. You’re religious, and you’re OK with talking about God. I want you to talk about God with the other players. That’s why I coach—to draw people closer to God. I want to see people’s lives change. I think you’re one of the best players on the team to do this. When you have a chance, why don’t you talk to someone about God? Some people may reject it, but it may change someone’s life. You never know.”
I had never really connected sports and school and religion. But this conversation connected them for me and got me excited and more ready to share the gospel with others. It allowed me to realize that you can be the same person in football and school and at early-morning seminary in someone’s home and still be successful. Now that I’ve connected them it has made things easier.
This has helped me prepare for a mission. I’m getting more used to talking to people about God, sharing the gospel, and bearing my testimony.
Joseph S., 17, Louisiana, USA

One day a grandson of President Tanner’s approached him and said, “I have observed you and other successful men, and I have made up my mind that I want to be a success in my life. I want to interview as many successful people as I can to determine what made them successful. So looking back over your experience, Grandpa, what do you believe is the most important element of success?”
President Tanner replied that the Lord gave the greatest success formula he knew of: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

My Grandma Annabelle came to live with us for 19 months until her death. She could no longer live on her own or take care of herself. My grandma was not a member of our church. She didn’t belong to any church. My mother and I decided to read stories to my grandma from the Friend magazine. Grandma would listen, and I would ask her what she learned. Then she would give me a few short responses. My grandma loved it when I read stories to her. She always wanted me to read more.
Since my grandma liked the stories so much, we thought she would like doing the hidden pictures too. We worked with her and helped her find the objects. This helped her mind stay strong. The Friend magazine is great for everyone, young and old!
Sharing the stories was also a good missionary opportunity for us. Sometimes Grandma would listen to scriptures with our family. During those 19 months, she offered to say two prayers, and they were beautiful. We all felt the Spirit.
Even though my grandma didn’t remember who we were most of the time, she loved it when I read stories to her. I think it made her feel good inside. Since I am 12 years old now and it has been a year since my grandma died, I am looking forward to being baptized for her in the temple.

I will share with you an experience I had before I was a General Authority which affected me profoundly. I sat in an airplane next to a man who so strongly expressed his disbelief in God that I bore my testimony to him. “You are wrong, I said, “there is a God. I know He lives!”
He protested, “You don’t know. Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!” When I would not agree with him, the man, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. “All right,” he said in a sneering, condescending way, “you say you know. Tell me how you know.”
I felt perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then something came into my mind. I said to the man, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”
“Of course I do,” was his reply.
“When did you taste salt last?”
“When I just had dinner here on the airplane.”
“You just think you know what salt tastes like,” I said.
He insisted, “I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.”
“If I gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?”
“Now you are getting silly,” was his reply. “Of course I could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience.”
“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”
After some thought, he said, “Well, I suppose you could say that it is not sweet and it is not sour.”
“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.” After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not explain, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to tell you in words how this knowledge has come to me than you are able to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!”
Since that day, I have never been embarrassed or ashamed that I could not explain in words alone everything I know spiritually. The Apostle Paul said it this way:
“We speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:13–14.)

My friends and I were really into video games. The games we played were not driving games or sports games. We spent most of our time playing violent games that tried to show us what war was really like. My mother had been trying to get me to stop playing them, but the games were fun, and I thought she just did not understand the amazing things that the computer could do. I never realized that my behavior had changed until President Gordon B. Hinckley gave us the six Bs (see “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” New Era, Jan. 2001, 4).
I started to notice that after playing those violent games, I could not be nice to people. One time, after playing a game, a friend asked me if he could get something out of the refrigerator. I responded to him very rudely. I thought I was joking, but he didn’t. I felt horrible for being mean to him and making one of my best friends feel bad. I never wanted to hurt anyone after that.
I could not “be smart” or “be humble,” as the prophet has told us. These games distracted me from studying. I spent all of my free time playing these games so I could be better than everyone else. Playing these games built up a lot of pride in me, and I could not control myself from making fun of the people I had beaten. After a few weeks of feeling horrible after playing games like these and feeling horrible about the things they influenced me to do, I resolved to never play a violent game ever again. It didn’t matter if the game was just a little violent or a lot; I would never play a game with violence in it.
I have tried this for a while now, and I see blessings for doing so all around me. Giving up these games has allowed me to do so much more. I went from having no job to having a full-time job, from starting to lose friends to making more. I can spend more time on school and my studies. I have even started to write a short story that I enjoy.
I have found that listening to your parents and the prophet can save you a lot of heartache. The simple phrases “be humble” and “be smart” have made me a new person. I believe that as I continue to stay away from violent games, I will be blessed.