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You’ve Always Had a Testimony

If you have doubts about your gospel knowledge or testimony, remember that you knew the truth before this life—you just have to remember it.

"You knew so much before this life. Don’t ever forget that." - Kevin W. Pearson

In a recently published article in the New Era, Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the First Quorum of the Seventy tells us how we can gain more confidence in our testimonies. He begins by telling a story of himself as a young man sitting in a continuing education class at church. While listening to the teacher bear his testimony of the gospel, Elder Pearson realized that he had “always known [the gospel] was true”—he was just remembering it then.

Before this life, each of us lived with our Father in Heaven. During this time, you knew all of the things that you might be struggling to understand and believe now. Although at times your faith may be challenged, you can find comfort in knowing that you are not learning something new. Gospel knowledge is part of you—it always has been and it always will be. All you need to do is remember it.

Sometimes you just have to be patient. If you are struggling to remember and gain a complete testimony, it does not mean that remembering is impossible. One key to remembering the truths of the gospel is to always remember who you are. You are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father, and you have a divine identity. If you keep your divine identity in mind, as Elder Pearson says, “you’ll begin to better understand the things you’ve always known, and certain doctrines and truths will begin to feel real and familiar.”

Never forget that as a newborn baby, Jesus Christ came to earth with a completely blank slate. Because of the veil, he had forgotten everything, just as you did when you were born. He had to remember everything, and it didn’t happen all at once. Christ knows what you are going through, and he is there to help you remember the testimony that you have always had, even if you cannot find it now.

Read Elder Kevin W. Pearson’s New Era article “What You Knew in Premortal Life.”

Source: New Era
Amy Davis, Mormon Insights

Find more insights

Watch Dieter F. Uchtdorf speak about our divine identities.

Feature photo courtesy of the LDS Media Library. Picture quote photo courtesy of Julo.

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3 Comments

  1. I loved this talk. I’ve sometimes thought about how one of the most dangerous aspects of human nature is our tendency to forget. It’s easy to discount past experiences simply because we forget how we felt at the time, but this talk was a great reminder to me that we are always of divine worth.

  2. Great perspective! Maybe it’s because I grew up in the church, but I do feel like even though I don’t know everything or have faith in everything, I do know how to recognize truth, and there is so much truth in the gospel. It’s basically what keeps me going when I don’t think I can. This is a great way to think about testimonies–as something we can have confidence having had once, so we can do it again.

  3. Pingback: Confronting Uncertainty the Right Way - Latter-day Saint Insights

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