March 31, 2011

I'm a Mormon.

For those of you who know me, you probably know I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known as Mormons). But if you're anything like me, you know a lot less about other religions than you wish you did. So here's a little bit about what being a Mormon means to me. I'm Karen Jacobs. I'm 29 years old, married to the love of my life, with one sweet little guy and one sweet little girl on the way. I'm a Mormon...and that means... 1. I believe that families can be together forever. There doesn't have to be a "until death do us part." So to me, that means that my family relationships are important (vital really). It makes me nicer to them, more patient with my husband and son, and more excited to bring more kids into the world and have them be part of my family. Although death still is a little scary, it really helps me to know that we can be together even after we die. It makes my life a little more peaceful. 2. I believe that we are all children of God. It makes me want to be kinder and more understanding of others. Knowing this helps me to look inward and find the good in myself and others, even when it's hard. It helps me be closer to my Heavenly Father because I'm here on earth with his kids and he's interested in how I treat them (including myself.) 3. I believe we can repent when we make a mistake. My love for Jesus Christ grows every time I think of the sacrifice he made for all of us. I know that even though we mess up (a lot) we can ask forgiveness and we'll be forgiven. Pretty amazing. 4. I know I can know what is true and what is not. I don't go to church every week or follow the teachings of the church blindly. I have prayed for myself and studied the scriptures to know for myself. When I do pray for guidance, I receive answers through the Holy Ghost. It's a warm feeling of peace that I feel within myself. It's a hard emotion to describe but one that isn't easy to ignore. I know that feeling can come when we need guidance, when we need to know how to proceed in parenting, when we need to be stopped from being unkind or whatever...It's amazing that God can communicate with us in this way. It means a lot more to me than just that, but the bottom line is, being a member of this church and following Christ's teachings brings me peace and joy, in good times and in hard times. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or you can visit www.mormon.org :)

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