As members of the Church, we often meet people who ask why we act a certain way. Keeping Christ as the common denominator can aid in answering these questions.
PHOTO BY MEIZHI LANG
Being the only member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a group of friends or team of colleagues may sometimes put you in the position of sitting in the “hot seat,” where others throw tricky questions at you about your morals and beliefs. The Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, Tracy Y. Browning, reflects on similar experiences she has had with individuals questioning her about why she keeps the Word of Wisdom, why she reads the Book of Mormon, and why she listens to modern-day prophets in her talk “Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives.”
Browning explained that these experiences were overwhelming at first, but she developed a beneficial outlook on this pattern. “I came to realize that their probing was, in fact, my first invitation to pick up and put on a pair of spiritual lenses to clarify, focus, and solidify what motivated my adherence to gospel practices and standards,” Browning explained.
When we are met with complicated questions about our beliefs, we can approach them as opportunities to spread the teachings of the gospel. If we keep Christ at the forefront of our answers to “why” questions, we are able to show how Christ can be a guiding light.
Browning shared, “Jesus Christ is both the purpose of our focus and the intent of our destination.” Probing questions from those of other faiths can seem daunting to tackle, but keeping Christ and his teachings in mind can direct us to provide meaningful answers and can also help us retain a spiritual perspective in our lives.
Read and watch Tracy Y. Browning’s article here.
Source: Church of Jesus Christ
—Payton Pingree, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY ALEXIS BROWN
Find more insights
Read more about putting Christ at the forefront of your identity in Jennifer Fletcher’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Choosing to Identify as a Child of God.”
Take a look at Simon Laraway’s article for Latter-day Saint Insights, “A Gospel of Questions,” to learn more about the importance of questions in the Church.