Not Something You Have Today and Keep Always . . .

The Lessons

One of the great, enduring lessons of the Kirtland period is that our spirits need constant nourishment. As President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) taught: “Testimony isn’t something that you have today and you keep always. Testimony is either going to grow and grow to the brightness of certainty, or it is going to diminish to nothingness, depending upon what we do about it. I say, the testimony that we recapture day by day is the thing that saves us from the pitfalls of the adversary.”6 We need to stay close to the Lord every day if we are to survive the adversity that we all must face.

In some ways our world today is similar to Kirtland of the 1830s. We too live in times of financial distress. There are those who persecute and rail against the Church and its members. Individual and collective trials may sometimes seem overwhelming.

That is when we need, more than ever, to draw near unto the Lord. As we do, we will come to know what it means to have the Lord draw near unto us. As we seek Him ever more diligently, we will surely find Him. We will see clearly that the Lord does not abandon His Church or His faithful Saints. Our eyes will be opened, and we will see Him open the windows of heaven and shower us with more of His light. We will find the spiritual strength to survive even during the darkest night.

Although some of the Saints in Kirtland lost sight of the spiritual experiences they had, most did not. The majority, including William Draper, held fast to the spiritual knowledge God had given them and continued to follow the Prophet. Along the way they experienced more bitter trials but also more sweet spiritual growth until, ultimately, those who endured to the end were “received into … a state of never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41).

Strengthening Your Testimony

“Strengthening Your Testimony,” Ensign, Jan. 2010, 8

Take this self-evaluation quiz to help you think about how you are doing in strengthening your testimony:

• • Do I desire to believe?

• • Do I fast and pray for a stronger testimony?

• • Do I read and ponder the scriptures each day?

• • Do I try to keep the commandments each day?

• • Do I try to follow promptings from the Holy Ghost?

• • Do I bear my testimony when prompted to do so?

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Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Hold on a Little Longer,” Ensign, Jan 2010, 4–8