A lost sheep returning to the fold

Congratulations James.

I too celebrate with you for the positive choices that you are making. The church community can be such a great benefit in life.

I shared the following analogy recently with another new StayLDSer:

Your testimony is like a rock wall. (Don’t worry about the purpose of the wall–the analogy doesn’t stretch that far.) Everyone is constantly building to their walls, stone by stone. And every now and then, you may stumble upon a stone and not see exactly where it fits. It may be labeled “gay marriage” or “visiting teaching” or “hymns are boring” or “why do we have so many freaking meetings and why are they so freaking long.” But that doesn’t mean you abandon the wall. It means you set the stone aside and keep building with what you DO know. And as you build, you may suddenly see where that stone fits. Some people have likened this process to a jigsaw puzzle, but that implies that everyone’s testimony looks the same eventually. I like the stone wall better because everyone’s will look completely different, and have different foundations, but all of them are still valid. It can be frustrating to feel sometimes like you’re surrounded by stones you don’t understand. But hang in there. You’ll find their place eventually. And as you do, you’ll find your OWN place, too.

Even if your testimony is somewhat different than everybody else it is still valuable and heartfelt.

I believe that God honors our unique testimonies all the more because we come into them “honestly” – through genuine searching and personal lived experience.

God bless you in your path.

After ten years of inactivity, my records finally caught up with me and I was visited by the missionaries. We are now meeting together regularly and two days ago I received a priesthood blessing. I plan to attend worship this Sunday for fast and testimony meeting. After all these years I was surprised to learn that I still had a testimony of the truth of the gospel. I plan on returning to the church and become worthy of the priesthood I hold, eventually going back for the blessings of the temple. Prayers on my behalf would be greatly appreciated.

Hi James, I was “out” for years. Didn’t consider myself member during that time. Here’s some of my advice:

* Take it slowly.

* Do it on your terms.

* Give it a few months at least.

* Do not expect it to be perfect, do not expect yourself to be perfect.

* Work out who your allies are and stick by them.

* Read through the archives of this forum & get some ideas for what to do.

I was really surpised when I came back. I didn’t have everyone judging me. Sure, there were some members I liked less than others, but I haven’t let them chase me away. But I have also met many kind people who have improved my quality of life no end.

Welcome and thanks for posting.

I will pray that you are able to make it work on your own terms in a way that is uplifting for you.