What's your conversion story?
"13 And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi." (Mosiah 25: 13)
"23 And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God;
24 And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land." (Mosiah 25: 23-24)
"1 Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers." (Mosiah 26: 1)
And here's the introductory commentary for the reading assignment this week, May 27–June 2: “They Were Called the People of God” Mosiah 25–28 :
"After nearly three generations of living in separate lands, the Nephites were one people again. Limhi’s people, Alma’s people, and Mosiah’s people—even the people of Zarahemla, who were not descended from Nephi—were now all “numbered with the Nephites” (Mosiah 25:13). Many of them also wanted to become members of the Lord’s Church, as Alma’s people had. So all those who “were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ” were baptized, “and they were called the people of God” (Mosiah 25:23–24). After years of conflict and captivity, it seemed that the Nephites would finally enjoy a period of peace.
But before long, unbelievers began persecuting the Saints. What made this especially heartbreaking was that many of these unbelievers were the believers’ own children—the “rising generation” (Mosiah 26:1), including the sons of Mosiah and one son of Alma. The account tells of a miraculous visit of an angel. But the true miracle of this story is not just about angels appearing to wayward sons. Conversion is a miracle that, in one way or another, needs to happen in all of us."
Conversion is indeed a miracle. The dictionary defines the word conversion as "the process of changing or causing something to change from one form to another." So, when a person is converted, it means he/she is no longer the same kind of person as he/she was before because a change has happened. And there is no turning back to the old ways. In fact, the process of changing continues if it is a true conversion. And this transformation from the old kind of person that you were before into the new one now, is truly a miracle.
I'm so grateful for this miracle of conversion that has been happening in my own life. As I advance in age, I would say that the current decade I turned into is better and it keeps getting better--30's was better than 20's, 40's is even better, and now being in my early 50's, I'm seeing that this is a lot better, even the best of the decades I've lived so far. Why? It's mainly because of the joy, peace and gratitude that I feel more than ever before in my life. And this is brought about by my own conversion. I've been transforming over the years as I strive to practice what I've been learning. And I keep learning and taking action to apply the principles I'm learning. And so I've been growing.
One thing that I learned which has essentially been contributing to the acceleration of my growth since I reached my 40's is goal-setting. As I strive to achieve my goals in different areas of life, I've been able to transform quicker than ever before. When I became more intentional with setting and achieving my goals, I became more aware of how I am spending my time and energy--making the effort to align my thoughts, words, and actions more with my goals. And seeing the results made me realize that I do have the power to make things happen. And this power is enhanced as I turn to God, my Heavenly Father, the most powerful being in the whole universe. Nothing is impossible with God. When He is with us, we are empowered to transform into our better or even best version, reach our full potential, create the life of our dreams, and experience the increasing joy, peace, and gratitude in this earthly existence. Indeed, eternal increase is possible now. And I realized this is what's bringing us the most joy. And finding this joy is exactly the purpose why we are here on earth. "Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy" (in 2 Nephi) profoundly teaches us this truth. The challenges that we are facing don't stop us from finding this joy. They take us nearer to this joy instead by giving us opportunities to use our free agency, and take the initiative to figure out for ourselves what exactly the actions we can take to rise above our own challenges. Our journey as we navigate this life can be tough as challenges that come can be really difficult to overcome, and yet, even in the midst of difficulty, it's still possible to find joy. Why? Because the Lord has never left us alone. He is always there for us, providing us comfort when we need it, and guiding, teaching, and inspiring us through His Spirit, that we are able to know exactly what to do as ideas flow into our minds. And as we heed the promptings of the Spirit, we are able to rise above our challenges, and reach our goals.
Recently, I realized that even if we're not able to see the overall realization of our goals in this lifetime, it doesn't really matter. What matters is the process of transformation that's happening in us as we are striving to achieve our goals, the kind of person that we become. Our life here on earth is borrowed. We never know exactly how long we are staying here. You never know when your last day on earth is gonna be or when will you take your last breath. I'm reminded of this with the passing of my sister, friend, and manager/team leader, Sis. Flora C. Kim just last week. She's only 43 and her battle with breast cancer eventually ended after a few years. She did accomplish a lot during her lifetime. And even though she definitely still had goals she was working on when cancer hit her, she's been doing her best while she still had the strength and energy to keep going toward the achievement of her goals. Her life story is truly inspirational. The goals that she accomplished in her entire lifetime were big enough and have touched the lives of many others including myself. And her legacy goes on. So, what she hasn't accomplished yet doesn't really matter now. Her own transformation into the kind of person she became, the qualities that she developed--full of faith in God, always acknowledging and showing gratitude to God for every accomplishment of her team members and her own accomplishments, and empowering others through her communications skills, this is what truly matters because these same qualities will rise with her in the resurrection. She became the kind of person God wanted her to become. She accomplished the mission God has sent her to do on this earth. She probably could have accomplished more if she'd given more time to stay in this earthly life. And yet, under God's plan, she already did enough and she's ready to leave this earth. And now she is continuing her mission and touching lives in the world of spirits. Seems like God needs her over there more than here on this earth now. And I would like and I am following her example of doing all I can to accomplish my own goals myself as much as I possibly can during the period of time I am permitted to stay on this earth. And I decided to take this journey one step at a time, enjoying each precious moment more than ever before--smelling the flowers along the way more than I used to, and keeping in mind that whatever happens, whether I'm able to see the overall realization or fulfillment of my big and short-term goals during my entire span of life here on earth or I don't, it doesn't really matter because what matters is my own transformation--my conversion into the kind of person God wants me to become. There's a saying that goes, "What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God." Just as my friend Flora's gift to God is truly amazing, I choose to become the amazing gift that I can give to God myself.
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