Many people wonder, how can I effectively invite others to come back to faith, especially in a way that doesn’t cause defensiveness?
An account in The Book of Mormon holds an answer. In 3 Nephi chapter one, we read about the miraculous event of a full 24 hours passing with no darkness at all. The people who witnessed this phenomenon were “so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth” and “the more part of the people … were converted unto the Lord.” But a relatively short time later, we read that these very same people began to “believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing” (3 Nephi 2:2).
How could the Nephites deny such a powerful spiritual experience?
Mormon writes it is because the Nephites “began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen” (3 Nephi 2:1, emphasis added). Notice how this verse suggests that people lose faith (and even begin to reinterpret past spiritual experiences) when they are “less and less astonished” at the truths of the gospel.
Why A Sense of Awe Matters to Testimony
Humans are more likely to be interested in the truth when they also find it inspiring, beautiful, and satisfying. For example, people know that the principles of mathematics are true, but most do not find them very inspiring or appealing.
Some people leave faith because they lose a sense of awe for God, His Son, and the Restoration. When that happens, it becomes difficult to try to make sense of complicated issues or to work through past hurts one may have experienced in their church community. However, the converse is also true. Alma said that we begin to know the word is true when we plant it in our hearts and it enlarges our souls, enlightens our understanding, and tastes delicious (Alma 32:28). Certainly, these kinds of reactions engender a deep sense of awe and astonishment.
Importantly, feelings of astonishment are not enough to satisfy our souls. Instead, those emotions point us to what our souls really long for: a relationship with God the Eternal Father. Astonishment’s role is to soften and open hearts to the testifying power of the Holy Ghost.1
How We Can Help Others Feel Awe
So, how do we help our loved ones see the wonder and majesty of gospel truths? We can follow Jesus’s teaching approach: sometimes He spoke directly about the truths of the kingdom of God, but other times He offered parables that indirectly helped others discover the truth for themselves.
I would like to suggest three ways you can help others indirectly see the beauty and wonder of the gospel insomuch that they might experience a sense of astonishment. Ideally, this will soften their hearts and help them be open to the truthfulness of the restored gospel. If not, you will have at least filled their lives with more wonder and joy.
1. Embrace a Life of Christlike Joy
The most awe-inspiring way to uphold the truths of the gospel is to embody them in our everyday lives. I’m not talking about a self-righteous, rule-keeping obedience, but rather a simple Christian life that reflects the principles of the Sermon on the Mount.
Our loved ones can be turned off by the gospel if they sense we embrace it to prove our own worth, show that we are disciplined, or that we are worthy of belonging to our community. If those are our motivations for following Jesus, we will unintentionally communicate that anyone who doesn’t live the gospel is someone worth less, not disciplined, or is not worthy of belonging.
Rather, Christian life must be born of gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus in Gethsemane and Golgotha. Consider how inspiring someone is who embodies the following truths:
- “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
- “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them” (Matthew 6:1).
- “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
- “First cast out the beam out of thine own eye” (Matthew 7:5).
- “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them:” (Matthew 7:12).
A Christian who lives this way shows deep security in their faith in God. This security naturally invites others to be very open with us, including about spirituality, family issues, and other difficult topics. Why? Because others know that even if they disagree, we will still treat them with respect and love.
Additionally, a disciple of Christ who lives the Sermon on the Mount is certainly someone who has tasted the fruit of the tree of life which fills the “soul with exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:12). There are few things more awe-inspiring than seeing someone who lives a life of Christ-like joy. When our loved ones see us live a simple Christian life—the kind of life that embodies the joy and love of God—they will truly be astonished and thus more likely to have a soft heart towards the gospel of Jesus Christ.2
2. Offer Life-Giving Spaces and Experiences
Another indirect way we can help others see the wonder and awe of the gospel is to invite them to life-giving spaces and experiences. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him.”3
It may be helpful to ask ourselves, is our home a place of warmth and beauty? Do the books on the shelves and art on the walls testify of Jesus? When in our home, are people nourished physically and emotionally in a way that they will want to be fed spiritually? Homes that fill us with goodness and light entice us into a way of life.
In addition to our homes, we can bring people into life-giving spaces and experiences through the natural world. When speaking to the anti-Christ Korihor, Alma chose to say, said, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
Thomas V. Morris, a philosopher, once recounted hearing a favorite professor at the University of North Carolina teach, “Atheism is an urban phenomenon.”4 That’s probably too simplistic and a tad overstated, but there is something true in realizing that being close to creation helps us sense a Creator.
Think of the stunning fall foliage in New England, the formations of Bryce Canyon National Park, or the comfort of the front porch on a summer night. The Lord told Joseph Smith, “All things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea … to enliven the soul.” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:18–19). The beauty of the earth indirectly testifies of a Creator who longs for the joy of His children.
Finally, life-giving experiences might help people develop a sense of awe for goodness, beauty, and maybe eventually God. For example, “The renowned organist Masaaki Suzuki calls Bach’s music ‘the fifth Gospel’ because many Japanese are considering or even converting to Christianity after hearing his music. Why? Because listening to Bach has cultivated hope in the hearts of these individuals and provided a stepping stone for them to understand the meaning of God’s love.”5
Obviously, people don’t need to love classical music or Renaissance art to develop a sense of astonishment for the divine. But any experience that helps people see goodness and grace, can invite them to develop wonder and awe. These kinds of activities can be as simple as a family dinner, a walk alongside a river, or beautiful music. As Mormon taught, “that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” (Moroni 7:13).
3. Share Your Faith Story
The closer you get to someone, whether it is a family member or friend, the more likely your faith life will come up. Sharing your experiences and beliefs may help others develop a sense of awe and astonishment for how you have seen the Lord’s hand in your life. Although this suggestion is more direct than the others, it can still be done in a non-threatening way if our motives are pure.
Whether we like it or not, others can almost always read our intent. If we share our own experiences with God, the Savior, and His restored church to pressure people or guilt them in some way, they will sense it. On the other hand, if we share from a place of sincerity, others will hopefully interpret our efforts as a way to deepen the relationship through sharing the most important part of our identity.
Abstract concepts like the love of God, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the Restoration become something real and inspiring when we can talk about what they’ve meant to us in our actual lives. For example, consider what you might share on these topics:
- How have you experienced cleansing, forgiveness, and healing?
- What has the life of Jesus taught us about the character of God?
- How has the Restoration connected you to God and His Son?
- How has the temple been a place of peace?
- Which scriptural stories do you find most meaningful in your life right now?
- What miracles have you seen through the priesthood?
At this point, you might be thinking: “I honestly do not know how my faith story would ever come up naturally.” I have two suggestions for anyone with that concern.
First, the more willingly you let people share what they really think about important topics (including areas where they disagree), the more likely they are willing to let you share. Of course, as mentioned above, this cannot be done for the purposes of manipulation—we must be sincerely striving to get to know someone’s thoughts and feelings about a topic. If people sense we will get angry or defensive, they will not share what they really feel.
Second, try to be increasingly more open about important topics you care about. The more you practice the more likely you are to create a relationship where people feel it is safe to talk about topics like relationships, difficulties, meaning, and faith.6
Conclusion: The Most Awe-Inspiring Truth of All
The gospel is literally true: Jesus walked on water, He healed the sick, and God raised Him from the dead. The Restoration is also literally true: Joseph translated actual gold plates, resurrected angels restored the priesthood, and the sealing power binds families together in loving relationships. But these things are not just true—they are astonishing. As followers of Christ, we can find ways to help our loved ones become captured by that beauty.
Of course, in the end, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than Gethsemane and Golgotha. What priests, poets, and painters have tried to describe in telling us about the sacrificial blood of Jesus is only a glimpse—a small taste into the astonishing love of God. And, as Nephi said, the love of God “is the most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:22).
When our loved ones discover the source of all goodness, truth, and beauty they will do everything they can to center their lives on Him.
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Notes
1. C.S. Lewis said: “The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers.”
2. As Sister Tamara W. Runia taught in general conference, “You go to the tree, stay at the tree, keep eating the fruit and, with a smile on your face, continue to beckon to those you love and show by example that eating the fruit is a happy thing!” (Quote by Ronald E. Bartholomew).
3. President Russell M. Nelson, “Come, Follow Me” 2019.
4. J. Aaron Simmons, Camping with Kierkegaard: Faithfulness as a Way of Life.
5. Paul M. Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World.
6. We can create a safe space that readily acknowledges that we can’t explain everything or that it can sometimes be difficult to work through challenging topics. We can be honest about what we know and what we don’t know. A powerful example of this is when Alma explained to his son Corianton what he had learned and what he didn’t know regarding the spirit world. That kind of vulnerability invites others to treat us with respect and lowers defensiveness. (See Alma 40)
