Add To Your Faith

To my daughter, 

               This week in our scripture reading we learned about Peter’s teachings on becoming partakers of the “divine nature.” He listed out many of the divine attributes of the Savior that we should strive to obtain. He wrote, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). These are qualities that we should strive to develop throughout our lives: diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. You often have lists of things that you need to do in a day or week like practicing the violin, cleaning your room, or finishing your homework. We call those To Do lists and life is full of them. But what Peter wrote about to the Saints of his day were what I call a To Be list, and it is of far more importance. These are the qualities that we want to develop and to become. We know that when all is said and done, what matters most is not just what we have done in our life, but who we have become. And unlike a To Do list, we usually can’t check things off a To Be list because it takes a lifetime (or more) to fully develop these qualities. But I hope that you will always remember that who you are is more important that what you accomplish in life.   

               One of these divine attributes that you exhibit particularly well is faith. Two weeks ago you and your brother played the violin in your Primary Program. You showed great faith to be able to stand in front of the ward and play I Know That My Redeemer Lives on the violin while the other kids sang. You were able to bear your testimony of the Savior through your music even though it was difficult and you were worried about playing the right notes. Faith means that we have to do things sometimes when we don’t fully know what is going to happen. Alma taught the Zoramites, “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21). Remember that faith is even more powerful than sight, and you can work great miracles in your life by trusting in the Lord with faith. Many other times you have also showed faith in the Savior by choosing to do what is right and choosing to believe in Him. You will also have the opportunity to express your faith in a powerful way next year when you are baptized. At your baptism you will witness to the Savior that you have faith in Him and are willing to follow Him throughout your whole life, even though you don’t know all that is going to happen to you. But you have faith that His way is always the best way, and you will demonstrate that faith by entering into the waters of baptism. Thank you for being a great example to me of faith in the Lord and I know that He has many special blessings in store for you in your life as you continue to exercise that faith.

Love,

Dad