John 7: 37 If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.”
I’ve had an ongoing problem. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I realized I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I would hear people in church talk about Christ and they would be so overwhelmed with emotion, I could tell they really loved Christ, and that his atonement had deep meaning for them in their lives; I also knew I wanted to feel the way they did about Christ, but I didn’t. I had learned about Him in church. I knew He was real, I knew he was the Savior and Redeemer of the world, I knew He was God’s Only Begotten Son, that He was the creator of Heaven and Earth, I knew he lived, and does live, just like I know that George Washington lived, or Donald Trump is real, but just like I don’t know them personally or have a personal relationship with them, I realized I didn’t have a personal relationship with Christ. After I figured out what it was I was missing, I realized I just wasn’t sure how to go about gaining that relationship. All the lessons and talks I had sat through hadn’t given it to me, there must be more to it. I remember being at a church activity where the theme of the activity was Come Unto Christ, and all the speakers were inviting us to come unto Christ. They were quoting scripture after scripture about coming to Christ, and I remember thinking, “but how do I actually do that? Well, I decided to find out.
I thought about what it meant to come unto Christ. I wrote in my scripture journal:
“Come Unto Christ”
What does come unto Christ mean and how do I come unto Christ?
Next, I looked up the word come in the dictionary,
The definition of the word come is:
- To approach or move toward a particular person or place
- To arrive by movement or in the course of progress
- To approach or arrive in time, in succession
- To move into view, appear
- To extend, reach
I found out from this that coming to Christ involved movement and action on my part, I needed to be moving closer to Christ, I needed to extend and reach for him. I needed to move into view of Him. Christ was already waiting and reaching for me, but I couldn’t expect to do nothing and come to Christ. I realized I needed to be acting and trying daily to come closer to him.
I thought about how I go about getting to know anyone I don’t know. I spend time with them. I ask them questions. I listen to them, I talk to them, I learn their likes and dislikes, their desires and dreams. These are all things I could do to help me get to know Christ.
Next, I made a list of things I could do daily to come closer to Christ.
- Read my scriptures daily
- Pray more sincerely
- Ponder what I have read
- Try to think of Christ more throughout the day
- Invite Christ to be with me
- Pray that I can feel Christ with me
- Envision Christ by my side throughout the day
- Be in His service
Then, I tried to get up early before my kids were up and do the items on my list daily, I wrote out my testimony of the Savior, and I studied topics that dealt with Christ from the Topical Guide. I also wrote down everything I was learning and feeling.
Over the next few weeks and months I realized I was gaining a real relationship with the Savior. I was thinking of him more, and I was looking forward to my time spent each morning with Him in prayer and studying the scriptures. I could feel Him with me during the day and especially when I was praying and studying. I began to not just know that he loved me but really feel his love for me. I could feel His desire for me to Come to Him. He became a good friend that is always there. He listens to me. He has patience with me. I feel Him teaching me, and guiding me. My desire to repent and my prayers have been more earnest and sincere. I want to do what is right, and have Him be proud of me. I’ve found that the more time and energy I put into my relationship with Him the stronger it is, just like any relationship. I’m so grateful for the things I’ve been led to and taught by the Savior over the last few months as I’ve sought to know Him better.
Revelation 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
I realized it is up to me to open the door and let Christ in. He is standing at the door knocking, waiting to come in and spend time with me like a best friend would. I know that we are all God’s children, he loves each and every one of us, and desires to have a relationship with each of us. If you haven’t decided to come unto Christ yet, I humbly pray that you will. Your life will never be the same.
