Our family has been participating in the “Light the World” Christmas advent challenge from Mormon.org. We have enjoyed discovering very doable ways we can share the light of Jesus Christ with the world every day this holiday season.
On Dec. 6, the challenge was “Jesus Read the Scriptures and So Can You.” So I read my sons a scripture in our family "Book of Mormon for Young Readers" and put them to bed.
I walked down the hall and breathed a long, deep breath of relief and welcome silence. Then I entered my baby’s room to rock him to sleep. (Yes, he’s 19 months and still needs to be rocked to sleep. Advice would be appreciated. Crying doesn’t work. We’ve both cried ourselves to sleep too many nights to count.)
As I rocked back and forth and hummed my usual “A Child’s Prayer” lullaby, I browsed through the other suggestions on Mormon.org for reading and sharing the scriptures. One suggestion in particular stood out to me.
“Find three scriptures that represent you. Share them with someone close to you.”
I have always heard about relating scriptures to my life, but finding passages of scripture that I felt represented who I was intrigued me. I began my search.
I wanted to find a scripture that described the joy and desire I feel to live the gospel with my whole heart and found a beautiful passage in 2 Nephi 4:16, which reads: “Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord.”
I have had the opportunity to experience many places in this world. From all over this beautiful state of Utah to the exciting diversity of New York City and almost everywhere in between; from Canada, the place where I was born and where my father was raised, to London, Puerto Rico and Africa.
I have met many types of people and learned about many cultures and religions. I have seen how people live their lives with and without the gospel in different areas of the world, and no experience or opportunity can touch or compare to the joy and peace that I have when I am striving to live my life the way the Lord has shown me how.
There is a clear and obvious difference in my life and in the lives of others when the Holy Ghost is welcomed as a constant companion. Delighting in the things of the Lord for me include worshipping him, making my home an extension of the temple so that my children, husband and I can always remember him, and praying for guidance for how to live my life so I can eventually return to live with him.
Another scripture that I feel represents the desires of my heart is Doctrine and Covenants 11:8: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.”
When I first tried out for "American Idol" 13 years ago, I was a young 17-year-old with stars in my eyes. I wanted all the fame and fortune that came along with that stardom.
My angel mother gently brought me back down to earth when she said, “I think you are meant to do this, but I think you are meant to do this not for yourself but to help bless the lives of others — to be an example.”
I didn’t ever reach that level of “famous” that some of my fellow "American Idol" contestants have — and for that I am very grateful. I was given many opportunities because of that experience to share a little about my beliefs with thousands of people, both onscreen and offscreen. I hope I can continue to do good and share the good news of the gospel all my life.
Finally, because singing has been such a huge part of my life and because I would not ever have known what joy music could bring without praying for guidance on how to best use my talents, I chose Doctrine and Covenants 25:12: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”
My blessings have come in so many ways, much of which I could not have imagined or perhaps even initially chose for myself. But now looking back at the very specific blessings the Lord has given me at pivotal times in my life, I am so grateful that all those days and nights of prayer and pleading — sometimes crying, sometimes singing — have led me to where I am today.
If you want to follow along with the "Light the World" challenge, visit Mormon.org.
Carmen Rasmusen Herbert is a former "American Idol" contestant who writes about entertainment and family for the Deseret News. Her email is carmen.r.herbert@gmail.com.