An Answer to Every Question

I was reading in last December's Ensign and I found an article that I thought was interesting. The title is what caught my attention, An Answer for Every "What If".  It appealed to my desire for some universal statement that can cover all sorts of situations, and it certainly started to. The author uses the Atonement to answer questions about "what if [something bad] happened?" The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most amazing and powerful event that has ever happened on this planet, and it covers every injustice and injury possible. The Atonement can, if you let it, answer every "why me?" or "what if...?" question bringing you down.

He will fix all injustices and uncertainties

However, there are also other questions we might have. We might not understand the "Why...?" or the "How...?" or any number of things. This is a fine place to be! Having a question is part of the process of gaining knowledge. If we have a question, asking an authority will get us the answer. For instance, if we want to know the amount $100 from today would be equivalent in 1801 we could ask a data-bank instead of asking a stranger or somebody not trained to know the answer. Questions are best answered from a trustworthy source. However, all human based information has the potential for error. Representatives might be biased towards their company, any human can make a mistake, and even data-banks could have erroneous information. I sometimes wonder, where can we go to find a trustworthy source?

This is something that I, as a stranger (or even if you actually know me) on the other side of the Internet, cannot answer definitively for you. You are currently reading the words of a representative of my church, and I said earlier that representatives might be biased. This is why I put so much emphasis on reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know if it's true. While I cannot give you perfect knowledge, the Holy Ghost can and will. Moroni teaches this very principle; in Moroni 10:3-5 he exhorts everybody to ask to receive knowledge (I talked about these scriptures in a series of posts a while back). I especially like the shortest of those three verses: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." If there is anybody you can trust, it is God, who speaks through the Holy Ghost. He is the most trustworthy source of information possible, and if you sincerely desire, also the most available source. So, give it a try! What is there to lose (besides some time)? Or, more importantly, what is there to gain (measureless joy in this life and the next)?

Birthdays

The celebration of the day one is born is a big deal to some people in some cultures. I know that my family has used it as a time to celebrate the person, celebrate the good they have done in our lives and let them know how much we love them. I've always thought this was just the way things went; for my siblings birthdays I would compliment them, give gifts to them, do some of their chores, etc. On my birthday, I'd enjoy the displays of love that I'd receive. I think this is a rather standard view on birthdays, a day of self indulgence and joy.

A birthday cake, the universal symbol of growing older and having fun

One December birthday, while celebrating my father's birthday, my dad did something that changed how I think about birthdays. It was my dad's day; we kids were trying to be nice to each other, by good to our mother, and making my dad's day worthy of being called as such. Then, at the birthday party where everybody was gathered (including my grandma, his mom), my dad produced a bouquet of flowers to give to my grandma. He then proceeded to thank her for all the things she had done in his life, not the least of which was giving him life. After all, we didn't do all that much on our first birthday; it was almost all our mother's work.

This act of humility, of taking something I had been taking for granted and looking at the source of the blessing, will forever make me think of the things my mom has done for me. My birthday, while certainly a fun time to hear well wishes, is a time to thank those around me, to thank my mom, but to also thank my God. I am thankful for my life, both its basic existence and also for the bountiful blessings I've experienced. I am grateful for the many reminders I have of my own inadequacies, and the chance I have, through Christ and His Atonement, to perfect myself and become a better person. My birthday was yesterday, but every day I have the chance to be thankful, be humble, and be faithful. I hope you use your time to look for the good things, and then your life will be filled with them.

GIGO and Miracles

GIGO is an acronym, used most commonly with computers and programming. It stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out, and is a way of understanding the fact that a computer will process any data it is given, even if it is completely wrong, and process it into something else that is completely wrong. Just as 1.05x12000 is wrong if you forget the 0's, neglecting something on the input side through an erroneous entry or lack of care will cause the output to be deficient.

So that is what GIGO is. What is a miracle? It is an instance where "Some lower law [is] superseded by the action of a higher." It shouldn't be thought of as something that happens only once in a while; higher law has more effect than lower does on an everyday basis. To illustrate this, consider an airplane. By legislative law, an pilot must make landings that pose no harm to its cargo. However, if the natural law is not followed that allows a pilot to land a plane safely, the legislative law has no affect on the plane and the natural law enforces its consequences. In this case, the lower law is the legislative law and the higher law is the natural law; the lower has no effect on whether the higher happens or not.

Miracles happen similarly. As we follow higher laws of concentrating on uplifting thoughts, following commandments, and exercising faith, the miracles will follow as readily as dropping something is followed by it falling. However, if we neglect to follow the higher law we will fail to realize the miracles that could have happened. Did that last sentence sound similar to the first paragraph? GIGO has a greater application than just computers. It can also be applied to relationships, mechanics, and even miracles. So, when you feel as if God isn't speaking with you, consider this application: are you giving your effort to take part in the miracle that is personal revelation? Or are you expecting the program to somehow give you the correct information when you fail to input the full equation? In order to learn if the Book of Mormon is true, you need to put in your effort if you expect anything to come of it. I have put in my effort, and I can tell you that I have witnessed the results. Now it's your turn.