Our Space

Firefighters and the Armor of God

Illustration by Julia Yellow

It was a calm day at my job as a volunteer firefighter, so I decided to read the Book of Mormon. When one of my co-workers saw me reading, he asked if I knew how we could put on the armor of God in modern times. As we were talking, the alarm sounded. There was a fire in a nearby store.

We quickly put on our firefighting gear and went straight there. The flames were huge, and as we approached the store, something exploded in our direction. The flames engulfed us. The explosion disoriented my co-worker and me for a few seconds. But thanks to our equipment and protective clothing, we suffered no injury.

When we returned to the station after fighting the fire, I asked my co-worker if he remembered his question about the armor of God. He said he did, and I explained that the armor of God is like our protective firefighting gear. We must always wear it so we can withstand the powerful attacks of the adversary. If we keep the commandments, we will be blessed with the protective power of the armor of God, and the Holy Ghost will be our guide.

Fernando de la Rosa Marrón, Mexico

My Favorite Scripture

1 Samuel 16:7. “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Before I joined the Church, I had always viewed myself as an ordinary person with ordinary abilities. I felt that I had nothing of value to offer. I was afraid to show people who I was because of the fear of being rejected and hurt. I thought that everyone around me was stronger, smarter, and better than me.

But all of these perspectives changed when I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I learned that we are all children of God and we inherited divine qualities. I now understand that there isn’t any competition on who is smarter, richer, or better looking. In the Lord’s eyes, we are all on equal footing, and He is the one who judges—not based on our physical traits but on our obedience and desire to follow the path He has set.

Joan Azucena, Philippines

Will You Work on Sunday?

Illustration by Julia Yellow

When I was 15 years old, I gained a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was so happy to join the Church. At the time, I was working to help support my family. Not long after I was baptized, however, I lost my job.

I needed to find a new job soon because my family depended on me, but every job I applied for required that I work on Sundays. I turned down many job offers because I knew that I needed to be at church on Sundays (see D&C 59:9–10).

After two months of searching, I still hadn’t found a job. My mom was not a member of the Church, and although she believed in God, she was very angry that I was passing up so many jobs.

One night she looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked, “Why is God letting this happen to us when you are so faithful in doing what is right?”

I replied, “Mom, I don’t know why this is happening to us, but I do know that I am doing the right thing, and I know that God will bless us for it.”

The next morning someone offered me a considerable amount of money to spend two days moving some heavy cargo from one house to another. The work was strenuous, but when I received the money, I went straight home and offered a prayer of gratitude. I soon found a good job that allowed me to take Sundays off, and I haven’t been unemployed since.

I am glad that I chose to keep the Sabbath day holy. There are many challenges in life, but I know that if we strive to be strong despite those challenges, the Lord will bless us.

Sahil Sharma, India