“Seeking for and obtaining a testimony of spiritual truth requires asking, seeking, and knocking.” -David A. Bednar
Questions are important. That is how the restoration came about. A young boy ASKED, in prayer, which church to join. This question came from serious doubt and confusion. Our minds grow when we start to think for ourselves and to ponder spiritual understanding. I have learned that Heavenly Father is always there and always listening. I have also found that he does not forget. The answer to our questions does not always come immediately by a personal visit from God the Father and Jesus Christ. Answers often take time and patience. Which, in reality, is exactly like the restoration. It was not a one night ordeal, but, instead, took a lifetime. From the day that young Joseph knelt in prayer until the day he was wrongfully shot, was a constant continuation of the restoration of the gospel. This continued with Brigham Young, John Taylor, Lorenzo Snow, and with every prophet to follow all the way to today with Russell M. Nelson.
“If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning…Wait till next year, and then the next year, Eat your vitamin pills. Get some rest. It’s going to be exciting.” -President Russell M. Nelson
That is the same with our own spiritual understanding and knowledge. There is no way to comprehend everything fully. However, if we close our minds and decide we already know everything, or if we form opinions based on everything we hear, we will be misled, and our hearts will harden. Questions are important and good. The secret is that we have to be patient in our arrival at the answer. In a world of instant answers, through google, it is difficult to wait. However “google” will not open the heavens; if anything, it could close them. There is only one way to seek eternal truths. We must ASK our Heavenly Father. We must keep our minds ready to receive instruction.
“If we expect to receive, we must ask, seek, and knock. In his search for truth, Joseph Smith read from the scriptures, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” In answer to his prayer of faith, the heavens were opened. God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, descended in glory and spoke to Joseph Smith, ushering in the dispensation of the fulness of times. For us, miraculous healing, powerful protection, divine knowledge, liberating forgiveness, and precious peace are among the answers that come when we offer up a “soul’s sincere desire” in faith.” -Carol F. McConkie
I, personally, have found that when I am bombarded with information from outside sources that ignite questions in my heart and soul, I immediately turn to prayer. I ask Heavenly Father to help me understand. Then I put it on a back burner in my mind. If I inquire of others about this question I am careful about my sources. I also keep an open mind, understanding that it might not be a question where there is a perfect answer. I remember that I may be receiving others perspective on a topic that maybe they aren’t fully informed on. I have found that by inviting Heavenly Father into my growth I am able to filter through information with the power of discernment. Eventually, I am able to build my own testimony on the subject, even if it takes years. Actually, even though it will take years. Most of the deeper questions or the topics that get swirling thorough the media or people are ones that take time to filter through and understand.
I stay completely clear of information that conflicts with my faith and values. I find it completely unproductive to approach a spiritual question through the contentious spirits of mortality. The last person I want to invite into my conversation is the adversary.
“There are many who deceive, and the spectrum of deception is broad. At one end we meet those who attack the Restoration, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon. Next we see those who believe in the Restoration but claim the Church is deficient and has gone astray. There are others who also claim to believe in the Restoration but are disillusioned with doctrine that conflicts with the shifting attitudes of our day. There are some who, without authority, lay claim to visions, dreams, and visitations to right the ship, guide us to a higher path, or prepare the Church for the end of the world. Others are deceived by false spirits.
At the far end of the spectrum we come to an entire universe of distractions. Never has there been more information, misinformation, and disinformation; more goods, gadgets, and games; and more options, places to go, and things to see and do to occupy time and attention away from what is most important. And all of that and much more is disseminated instantaneously throughout the world by electronic media. This is a day of deception.” -Lawrence E. Corbridge
I also don’t want to invite pride into my learning, because pride is hard and unpliable. There is no sense in asking for enlightenment and then not listening. I just wait on the Lord with patience.
“For some, the act of believing is difficult. Sometimes our pride gets in the way. Perhaps we think that because we are intelligent, educated, or experienced, we simply cannot believe in God. And we begin to look at religion as foolish tradition.
In my experience, belief is not so much like a painting we look at and admire and about which we discuss and theorize, it is more like a plow that we take into the fields and, by the sweat of our brow, create furrows in the earth that accept seeds and bear fruit that shall remain.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. This is the promise to all who seek to believe.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It’s important to not allow one question stop further testimony growth. So I continue with what I do understand and what I already know. It’s seriously amazing how the Lord, once we’ve inquired of him about a subject, will tie the understanding into what we already have. Since God’s laws are all one eternal round, they all fit perfectly together. So often my curiosity will be satisfied as what I already understand is enlarged. It reminds me of school. My children will have a good grasp of a subject, but then a new concept will be difficult to understand. When they go to the teacher to ask for extra instruction, even giving up lunch or study hall time to get the extra instruction, they also are able to comprehend what they once couldn’t grasp. Also, their new understanding flows with what they already know, it’s just the next puzzle piece. This starts from the early stages of learning, for example with math, it’s first addition and then subtraction, dividing, and multiplication. I love the excitement of the young child who has just learned to add, they feel so big. At that moment they feel like they fully understand math, because addition is all they know. With each new step of mathematics they come home with questions and they want to practice so they can master their new skill. I have watched this same concept take place all the way to Calculus. However, many young ones grasping addition and multiplication can’t even begin to comprehend calculus. Luckily, they never throw in the towel and give up on math just because they don’t understand the deeper more complicated math of their older siblings. Instead they patiently learn a little more every year. This is the same with our spiritual growth. It takes time to understand the eternities. It could possibly take eternity. So we have time! Be patient!
“Hold Fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.” – Jeffrey R. Holland
-Sherri Jorgensen
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