“When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes…. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required. The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us: Shall I falter, or shall I finish?”
Faith is not something that is simply obtained one day and then all is done. Just as physical fitness requires consistent effort and discipline, building strong and refined faith requires regular and consistent effort—it requires endurance training. Life is designed to be endurance training for our faith; every day we choose whether to stick with the program and how much effort we are going to put in to exercising our faith. LDS President Thomas S. Monson, whose wife died less a few months prior, had this to say about enduring during the most difficult times of life:
“When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes…. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required. The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us: Shall I falter, or shall I finish?”
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Since God is truly an all-knowing individual and has a perfect love for all mankind, why doesn't he tell us everything? Why not tell us every last detail about how to best live and how to act in every situation?
God is the perfect teacher, and trains us in a manner that will make real, lasting changes to our character. That learning process requires that we learn much for ourselves, rather than simply reading it from a book or hearing it from a preacher. What we hear or read can inspire us, but what we learn for ourselves truly changes us. Perhaps most critically, God holds us accountable for what we know. Those that do not understand a principle are not condemned for failing to live that principle. Such ignorance is NOT bliss, because ignorance also means a lack of joy or happiness as a result of living that principle. However, if we were given all knowledge that God has, all at once, we could not handle it. By "not handle it," I mean we could not live up to the high standard of knowledge we'd have, and we would be constantly under heavy condemnation as a result. To one group, he put it this way: "Ye call upon my name for revelations, and I give them unto you; and inasmuch as ye keep not my sayings, which I give unto you, ye become transgressors; and justice and judgment are the penalty which is affixed unto my law." Thus, our ignorance is a blessing of a loving God. Not that he wants to keep things from us--quite the opposite. But in his infinite wisdom and kindness he only reveals to us that which we are capable of living up to. Inasmuch as we are faithful to what we do know, he then adds to our knowledge little by little: "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." How much knowledge is God willing to impart? Multiple scriptures give us hints: "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." True faith in Christ is different than other types of faith. I may have faith in government, faith in a spouse, or faith in scientific theory. I may have faith in something that really is real, or I may be deceived and place faith in something that is wrong. All of these describe a level of confidence I place in something or someone. Faith is a measure of how strongly I believe.
Faith in government, spouses, science, and so forth stems from assurance from people, media reports, historical performance, logic, self-persuasion, and many other sources. Without some sort of assurance, there is no reason to believe--there is no faith. Faith in Christ is a special kind of faith. It is often described as a gift. But God will never force anyone to believe in Him, and therefore will not force the gift of faith. So how can He increase a person's faith in Christ, if coercion is not an option? The gift of faith in Christ must be a result of heavenly assurance. Where all other worldly assurances provide some level of surety to a conviction, the One Source of ultimate surety is God Himself. This most powerful feeling of assurance from God will not be forced on us--rather we have to ask for it. If we choose to seek it, we are promised we will receive it. Because these assurances come from God Himself, is it any wonder that faith in Christ can be so strong? Is it any wonder that upon receiving assurance from God, a person might place more confidence in Him than in contradicting evidence from science, philosophy, public opinion, or any other source? No other source of assurance can be as convincing, because no other source even approaches the same level of power, omniscience, and charity. To avoid the calamities of the world, we must stand in holy places. The temple is one of those places. Our homes can be one of those places. Churches can be holy places. A holy place can be mobile--it can be in each of us. Constant and faithful fulfillment of our own promises to keep God's commandments sanctifies us and makes us holy. As such, holy places can be holy simply because of the people who are there at the time. Homes become more holy when the holiness of those inside it increases. To create holy places, we need only to work to bring ourselves and those around us closer to God. |
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