God's Not Dead

So as many know General Conference was this last weekend and I've been wanting to say a few things. But let me first tell you about this movie I watched. It was on Netflix and it's called God's Not Dead. It's about a boy who defends his faith in his freshman philosophy class when no one else seems to care or believe. So I'm watching this movie and I'm thinking about the what I believe. And I kind of wonder if I'd have the courage to stand up and defend what I believe. But part of me thinks I would have just dropped the class and moved on. But God does need us to defend Him. Wait, let me rephrase that. He doesn't NEED us to defend Him. We need us to defend Him. We need what happens to us when we stand up and defend our faith. Now before anyone goes and get's all defensive I just wanna say that I don't care what you believe. If you don't believe in the same God as me, or if you don't believe in God at all I hope you still have the courage to continue to believe in what you believe in with the same conviction despite what others may say or do. But I also hope you have the courage to change your mind if you decide that you were wrong, or that you don't really believe what you thought you did.

Basically I wanna recommend the movie but more importantly I'd love to share some of my thoughts on God. One of my favorite things they said in this movie was: "God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good." because God is good. And sometimes we don't understand Him or His plans but God is good and it's that simple. "It's not easy, but it is simple."
When I was 14 a really really REALLY good friend of my brother's (and the families) died in an accident. That was the day I started keeping a journal. In this journal the very first things I wrote were angry angry questions to God. I wanted to demand an explanation, I felt like screaming and crying, and I was so confused. How is is fair for someone, so full of potential and goodness, to die? And death doesn't even make sense! One second they're there and they're SO full of life and thought and then suddenly they're just gone.
I talked to a lot of family and I didn't really want to talk to God at the time. I wasn't happy. I reconciled myself to it though. I felt like I had an answer when I finally talked to my Heavenly Father, and I didn't feel so confused and so upset. I found peace. I'm not saying that everyone who has ever believed in God and lost someone they loved has had a similar experience to me. In fact I don't really know how other people deal with death. But I do know that it's okay. It doesn't ever really get easier but you get used to it, and you learn from it, and eventually you're okay. You're alright. I can see how not understanding God and His doctrine might continue to leave people unsettled.
I won't stand here and tell you I know everything, because I don't. That's why I get on my knees and pray. God is good. And God is not dead. He lives. His Son lives. And so in a brief way I add my testimony to those of the living prophets today, and the prophets of old. God lives. Jesus Christ died for our sins and sorrows but more importantly Jesus Christ rose from the dead for us. Jesus Christ lives.