My Articles of Faith

*I stole the idea for this from the essayist Brian Doyle, who is one of the most beautiful authors I have read (and I read a lot). The essay I patterned this after is called "I Believe," from Doyle's book Leaping. 

The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith wrote the thirteen Articles of Faith to explain succinctly what his people believed. As a practicing Mormon, I also believe in these Articles of Faith, but as I have grown older I have discovered that there is more to what I believe than just thirteen paragraphs of doctrine.

I believe in families, in the love and warmth that can permeate a home on the coldest of winter nights, in laughter and hugs and unconditional love, on the way a parent’s or sibling’s love can steady uncertainty even when far away.

I believe that no one is perfect, but that we are all still worthy of love, that we have a Heavenly Father and a Savior who love us all perfectly no matter what, and that despite our imperfections it is still worth it to get up and try again, that we can try again and become better and more loving and pure, and that above all we need to love each other and ourselves, even when things happen that make us angry or hurt or confused or sad, and maybe especially then.

I believe that bad things happen to everyone, often for no reason that we can see, and even looking back sometimes we don’t understand how we made it out of that hard time alive, but God is always there, watching over us, and if we turn to him he will always help us, although often in ways we can’t see.

I believe in seasons, that sometimes life is cold and dark and wintery and we are like a tree bereft of leaves, standing naked and shivering in the wind and snow, but that also sometimes it is summer and we stand, warm branches raised, drinking in the sun as our leaves grow stronger and greener than they did before the storm.

I believe in love, that it can heal the deepest wounds, that it has healed – is healing – my deepest wounds, that it can be found in the words of the scriptures and the feeling of comfort after a heartfelt prayer, in the arms and empathetic tears of a friend, a sibling, a roommate, a mom, a dad, a passing stranger sensitive to the sorrows of others.

I believe that nature is necessary for a happy life, that getting away from everyone helps us to better connect with them upon our return, that the most peaceful activity in the world is swimming in the waters of a cold mountain lake.

I believe in laughing, long and hard, over inside jokes and stupid comments, laughing so hard you can’t breathe and tears stream down your face.

I believe that there is humor in everything, in missed busses and lost money and people teasing you for silly things, that when you know that you are loved and worthy of that love that even the rudest of people will find it hard to bring you down.

I believe in the endurance of the human spirit, that inside every soul lives something intangibly strong that says “Keep going” when everything outside the body is telling us to quit. I believe, as well, that it is worth it to keep going, that there is purpose to this life, however difficult it may be to see the purpose of skinned knees and crushed hearts, that if we turn to God we will find comfort and growth and he will make of our pain a purpose.

Specifically, I believe in the endurance of my spirit, that when things get dark, I keep on going and will continue to keep on going. I believe that my stubbornness is a gift, not a curse, and is one of the reasons I do keep on going no matter what, the other reason being God’s love for me, and even on the darkest nights when I can’t feel that love, he shows it to me in ways I don’t recognize until later, through thoughts and truths and knowledge, and that is why I am still here to fight another day.

I believe that love is what makes this vale of tears worth it.