Lately I've been struggling with faith. It's not that I have lost my faith, but that I am beginning to ask more questions. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have decided that it's not a bad thing. I am at a plateau and in order to have the spiritual growth spurt that I feel is coming, I need to let myself ask these questions and learn to let the spirit guide me in finding the answers. I also realize that the spirit may guide me to simply have faith that the answers will not disappoint me and allow that to be my answer for now.
On day six I read a talk by James O. Mason, the President of the Bountiful temple, entitled "Faith in Jesus Christ." It is one of the talks listed under "Gospel Topics: Faith" on lds.org.
According to this article, faith is inhibited by fear and doubt and it is often interwoven with hope and charity. Matt and I were talking the other night about scary movies. At one point in our lives, we both individually decided that we no longer enjoyed them. Matt pointed out that he believes that it's not only the gore or the demons, but the entire concept of fear itself that the spirit dislikes. I thought this was an interesting point in the context of this talk because fear is described as the absence of faith.
3 comments:
Interesting...the times we've talked about your questions, it didn't seem like you felt you were "struggling" with faith. I know you feel it's good to have questions, so is the statement that you've been struggling with faith something independent? Or related?
I think questions are a necessary part of our development in every area, including our spiritual development.
I think a lot about Alma 40:3, where Alma tells Corianton "But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection". That always sounds to me like he diligently inquired just for his personal development, and that part of the reason he was such a compelling leader and teacher was that he knew what it was like to have questions and search them out himself.
What you are describing is part of what Alma talks about in Alma 32:
33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing...
[which implies that your knowledge is not perfect in all things]
...and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
Alma seems to say that faith properly nourished becomes knowledge, but the need for faith does not end, but its focus simply changes to the next lesson we need to learn.
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