The other day I was studying in The Acts. I came to chapters 8-9. These chapters teach us about Saul who is also known as Paul. Saul went out persecuting the church and committing saints to prison. In chapter 9, Saul has an amazing experience.
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters
to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way,
whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Saul then loses his sight and cannot see for 3 days. The disciples that were there were very confused. Here is this man that had been persecuting them, and now is supposed to be one of them. The Lord sends confirmation and says:
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
The disciples then went to him and laid their hands upon Saul. He received his sight and was filled with the Holy Ghost. He then is baptized and begins preaching to the people.
We often feel that we need to have an amazing "eye-opening" (ha ha get the pun?! Sorry I am not very clever!) experience. Elder Uchtdorf said about this, "The
truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will
come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the
Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece
at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by
itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece
helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after
enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of
it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had
indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost
unnoticed. This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus."
I know that this is true! I know that we learn piece-by-piece. The Lord is here to help us on our journey. If we wait for an experience like Saul, we may never enjoy the blessings that the Lord has in store for us. I hope that we may all recognize this and show the Lord our Faith.
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