Pretending Is A Lot Like Faith

Yesterday I had a unique and life changing experience.

I babysat 3 young children as their mother attended the temple. When I first arrived, the children were playing with, what I learned was called, squishies. After doing some research, I learned that 'squishies' are actually pencil toppers. Random.

Anyways, each of us had at least 2 squishies and a 'habitat' for each squishy. I had a pig and an octopus. My pig had a bed, a hat, a TV, and some hot chocolate and some roasting chicken (yes, lego chicken actually over a fake flame...). The octopus had a pool. They both shared a tree house (which was the lamp in their room). This was my first time babysitting children in almost 2 years and I struggled playing with them because I had forgotten how to pretend.

I was unable to be the pig, and be the octopus. Lizzie was a panda. Jennifer was a crab. Jonathan was a bear. But I wasn't a pig. I wasn't an octopus. I was just Jenna. It took me probably 5 minutes to snap out of it and start pretending to pretend. I decided I had to start somewhere, and these kids were wondering why I wasn't playing with them. So I pretended to pretend, and somewhere along the pretending... I actually started pretending. I became the pig. I became the octopus. I became a squishy.

I learned that the act of pretending is a lot like having faith. You have a confident belief in something greater than yourself. Pretending is allowing yourself to forget the laws and the rules, and allows you to believe in something. It allows you to, for a few small moments, let go of all reasoning and allows you to just believe. I chose to believe. But it took work. I had to have a desire to believe before I actually believed. I had to believe in something greater than myself. And when I did, everything changed. I wasn't myself anymore. But I wasn't just a pig or an octopus, I was a kid again. And just like that, my life changed.

Like pretending, faith has changed my life. I had a desire to believe, and after a lot of work, I began to believe. It started small, and it was hard to believe. But soon that small belief turned into stronger and stronger faith. And today, I testify that my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ, has changed me. My faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, has changed me. My faith in God, has changed me. My faith has changed me. And, by studying my scriptures and praying, and attending my church meetings, my faith is strengthened. And through my faith, I am made strong.