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Sabbath Devotional: The Free Exercise of Religion

  • May 10
  • 4 min read


The Book of Mormon repeatedly tells us to remember.


Do you remember 2020? I do. It was a rough year. You will remember the pandemic, the protests, the election, and the incredible societal tension. For completely unrelated and personal reasons, it was the most difficult year I have ever had.


In the autumn of that year, the Church announced that President Russell M. Nelson would be making a statement online. The way this was promoted made me anxious to tune in. I was expecting — well, I don’t know what I was expecting. But I expected it to be life changing.


Imagine my surprise, or remember your own, when President Nelson’s message to us was to be grateful. He said, in part:


“Skilled scientists and researchers are laboring diligently to develop and distribute a vaccine against the coronavirus. But there is no medication or operation that can fix the many spiritual woes and maladies that we face.


There is, however, a remedy — one that may seem surprising — because it flies in the face of our natural intuitions. Nevertheless, its effects have been validated by scientists as well as men and women of faith.


I am referring to the healing power of gratitude.”


He then challenged us to share gratitude posts on social media for seven days and to offer prayers of gratitude.


This was not the prophetic direction I was hoping for. It felt unimaginative. The world seemed to be falling apart, and he says to be grateful?


In retrospect, I could apply the story of Naaman, whose servants said to him, “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?” (2 Kings 5:13). But this did not occur to me in that moment.


Despite my hesitation, I accepted the challenge. When I go back to read my gratitude posts from that week, I can feel the searching and longing that I had. I was hurting so much, and it was very difficult to be authentically grateful.


I felt a small improvement in my life, but I needed more. I chose to continue to trust in the prophetic counsel and began keeping an almost daily gratitude journal. It is now one of the highlights of my day. It is a practice that has helped change my mind and heart from a place of deep depression to a place of peace. It helps me to keep hope even when the world still feels like it’s falling apart. Gratitude is healing.

 


Now it is 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and life in our nation feels uncertain. I want the prophet to tell me some great thing that will miraculously fix our nation. A couple of months ago, the First Presidency invited all Church members in the United States to join together to fast in gratitude for religious liberty on July 5. In combination with this, they’ve asked wards to teach the 5th Sunday lesson in May on the subject of religious liberty.


I am converted to the idea of gratitude, so I’m not going to argue with that. But I felt hesitant about focusing on anything remotely political in a church setting. I have spent the last several years studying Christian nationalism and I am, more than ever, convinced of the importance of the separation of church and state. I wasn’t sure what to expect on that Sunday.


Earlier this week, the lesson materials became available. I watched the video by President Christofferson and Elder Cook. Beyond easing my concerns, it made me excited. The freedom of religion is an incredible blessing. How often do I really think about this gift? How often do I ponder the blessings in my life — and so many other lives — because of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution? I ask, in the manner of Alma 5, am I sufficiently grateful? Have I retained in remembrance the suffering of my fathers and mothers who didn’t have the freedoms I enjoy?


As I began to feel more excited about the upcoming lesson and fast, I thought about my own experience. When our children were young, my husband got a job in New York. We followed the GPS and found ourselves first entering upstate New York. I immediately felt the Holy Ghost testify to me that this was sacred ground. That seemed logical: Upstate New York is where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. It’s where the gospel began to be restored. It’s where Moroni once walked in mortality and appeared as an angel. It is a sacred place.


Our GPS took us out of New York, across Pennsylvania, and into New Jersey. It was the next day when we crossed the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan. Once again, I felt the Holy Ghost testify to me that this was sacred ground. That was less logical to me. It took me a little while to understand the sacredness of the city.  


Colonies such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were founded by people seeking religious freedom — but only for people who worshiped like they did. New York was founded for financial and business pursuits. And I think that purpose in settlement actually led to more religious freedom. While living in New York, I loved seeing religious devotion in all its diversity. I remember thinking, the restoration had to happen here. Without so much freedom and diversity, Joseph Smith probably wouldn’t have had his mind “called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness” (JS—H 1:8). The fact of religious freedom created conditions that allowed Joseph to have questions and seek answers. The foundational documents of our nation established laws that permitted a society where the gospel could be restored.


Today, I remember that with gratitude.


I also remember the stories of Church pioneers, including my own ancestors, and times when this nation did not live up to the principles of religious liberty, nor enforce laws protecting it. Because I remember, I have a great desire to have religious freedom strengthened throughout the world.


Gratitude is healing. It has a role to play in healing our nation. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let’s do so with deep gratitude, especially for the blessing of religious liberty.


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Megan Rawlins Woods is the nonpartisan root senior director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.

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