Mormon Message: Chats with Janelle.

The other night I was visiting with one of my BFFs. She and I got on the topic of religion, somehow someway. We talked about how she was raised in the church, and how I definitely wasn't. And we talked about how I've come to feel about the church, now that I've become active again and grown up a bit.


My thoughts about the church are mostly this: Even if it's 100% hogwash, even if it's completely untrue and some bogus religion that someone made up, even then I still am grateful to be a part of it because it's changed my life for the very best. My religion has set some goals and some boundaries for me that have put my life on a better track and helped me to better myself. That can't be a bad thing, right?

When I was not active, I thought the church was only for the best of people. I thought the church was for those people who were perfect, did nothing wrong, or those who lied about their "sins'. I wanted no part in that because I wasn't ready to live a perfect life. And now, I realize how silly that is. People used to tell me that the church was for sinners, not saints. I remember thinking that was such a silly thing to say, but now I can understand what they meant. The church has helped me to better myself by setting some goals for myself and setting limits. I know what I want to do and where I want to go with my life, and I know what I don't want to do and what I don't want in my life. The church gives me some awesome counselors and guidance teams to help me progress to where I want to be. All for free, by the way. Uhhh, sign me up for that, please.

Lastly, the church has an incredible support system unlike anything I've ever seen. When my Grandpa died, the people in my Aunts ward brought over loads and loads of dinners and sweets to make sure we didn't have to cook during a difficult time. People were willing to help with the services, to transport flowers, to do whatever we needed of them. For the wedding, people from the ward have offered to serve our treats, to help set up tables, to be there for anything we need. Whenever someone is sick/ill/hurt, it's announced in our Sunday service and people come out from the woodworks just to help in any way that they can. It's an incredible system and I love everything about it.

How I've lived my entire life without the church is beyond me. Even if you take away the God, the prayer and the eternal marriage; even if you take away the temples, the ceremonies, the scriptures; even if you take away all the incredible 'church' things about the church, it's STILL an incredible place to be. Now, add all of those awesome spiritual things on top of this already incredible church and it blows my mind. What an awesome thing to be a part of and I'm so very grateful I found the church when I did.

Amen.