When did I get my testimony of the sacrament?
The thought “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” comes to mind. I
have taken the sacrament since I was baptized 16 years ago. While on my mission
I worked daily to get people to the church for the sole purpose of seeing how
the sacrament was administered and with the hope that someday they would be
able to make promises through baptism. Just before coming home I had made a
promise to myself that I wouldn’t miss the sacrament ever again for the rest of
my life.
After thinking about it there is
nothing more important than that hour on Sunday. No sales call with a potential
customer, job interview, or golf tee time would be more important than renewing
my covenants each and every Sunday. I made a very good effort for quite a while
until one week I had to work on a Sunday during the time my sacrament was held,
the following week I was out of town camping, and then a 3rd week in
a row I was gone again for something else.
Finally the 4th week I was
able to make it back and take the sacrament. I am not exaggerating when I tell you
that my life and overall feeling during those 3 weeks was a lonely and one of
the more temptation filled weeks of my life. All my usual tasks like work and
life in general were extra tough and yet temptations that usually had no effect
on me were constantly taxing on my mind. I would think how easy it would be to
sin and just repent later. The feeling was ugly and Sunday couldn’t come
sooner.
Once back in the “groove” being able
to take the sacrament weekly I was filled again with the power to resist temptation.
I guess never up until that point I took for granted or never understood how
much armor I was wearing over the years to deflect failure and temptation.
The lesson learned is to never
forget how important that morsel of bread and swig of water is each Sunday. Satan knows the importance and will do what
he can to make sure we are busy, too tired, invitations from friends, or money get
in the way of use being present for that one hour session of church each Sunday.
I know that the sacrament provides protection from the adversary and strength
to us so we can be successful temporally and spiritually each and every week of
our lives. What a gift it truly is.
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