Learning - 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

I purposely waited until I had properly functioning brain power to write about the next verse because I thought that it was really profound and spoke to what I’ve been dealing with lately. Paul has been talking about how the gospel is taught through “wisdom” and “mystery,” by people who are considered “weak” in our human societies. But those who are ready and open to hear the gospel message will hear it, and those who are not open and ready will not hear it, even though both types of people can hear the same words. But it can be hard to give up what you have known all your life for something new, even if you are open and ready.

In order to assure us that the transition will be worth it, Paul says, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Recently I’ve been struggling with a… I don’t know, maybe exhaustion or restlessness. I feel like I’m just tired and not necessarily a feeling of being dead inside, but not really being “alive,” if that makes sense. I feel kind of stuck, and like I’m working to be better spiritually and grow closer to God, but I feel less successful in that than I have been previously. I don’t know, I guess I just feel very alone and very overwhelmed with my responsibilities and I’m just tired.
When I read this verse, it helped remind me that this life is not the end, I will be given all the blessings that I am worthy of, even if it is in the next life, and that God had a happy plan for me, I just have to hang in there. In my “funk” I’ve reflected on what I used to do when I felt this way, and 99% of the things that I used to do are incompatible with the gospel, and I’ve had to talk myself through why I shouldn’t go back to doing those things again. And it helped to be reminded that not only are good things coming for me, and truly surround me on all sides now, but that these blessings are so amazing that I imagine how incredible they are. And that’s God way, yes?
It also helped when I heard Elder Terence M. Vinson’s general conference talk from this weekend called “True Disciples of the Savior,” say, “there is no treasure, not any hobby, not any status, not any social media, nor any video games, nor any sport, nor any association with a celebrity, nor anything on earth that is more precious than eternal life.” It helped me remember that my goal is life is not to be rich, or well to do, or to be married again or anything like that. My goal in life is to be worthy of eternal life, that’s what matters, and everything else will be provided for.
Paul even says that “god hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” The Spirit tells us that good things are coming, he teaches us about the mysteries of God and the kingdom. This is really what separates those who are ready and those who are not. They can hear the same words but get different messages or even no messages depending on their ability to receive input from the Spirit and the message that they need to hear at that moment.
The IM says   “Paul reminded his readers that a worldly minded person cannot comprehend spiritual truth because ‘the things of the Spirit of God’ must be ‘spiritually discerned.’ Spiritual knowledge can be obtained only through means that God has prepared.” It then goes on to quote Elder Paul v. Johnson who talks about the scientifitic method of discovery and how much we have been able to learn about “our physical world. Learning spiritual things, however, requires a different approach than learning scientific things. The scientific method and intellect are very helpful, but they alone will never bring spiritual knowledge… Answers to spiritual questions are given to individuals who don’t harden their hearts; who ask in faith, believing they will receive; and who diligently keep the commandments.”
I appreciate that he brought up the scientific method vs. the spiritual learning pattern because there is such a push back from “science” about how God can not be real because He can not be proved using the scientific method. There was a talk in sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago where the speaker said that if God wanted to, he could give us indisputable knowledge verifying his existence so that there would be no doubt remaining. But that’s not the purpose of this life. We are not here to know for sure and then still screw things up, we are here to walk by faith.
I mean, think about it, in the pre-existence, we walked by sight, we saw and lived with our Heavenly Parents, had deep, meaningful relationships with them, and even then there was a significant portion of spirits who would not believe what was said. So even if God came down right now and told us and showed us everything, that would still not be enough for many people. Because the point isn’t the proof, there are varying amounts of “proof” surrounding us on all sides, some believe with smaller amounts, having great faith. Then there are others of us who need much more information and further convincing before we will believe. The point isn’t the “proof,” the point is what it will take for us to accept the amounts of “proof” that we are given.
And spiritual learning, just like in the scientific method, where scientists try out hypothesis after hypothesis, having varying degrees of success of failure, Elder Johnson continues, “Even when we follow this pattern, we don’t control the timing of getting answers. Sometimes our answers come quickly, and sometimes we must place questions on the shelf for a time and rely on our faith that has developed from the answers we do know.”
There have been several times in my life, right now in fact, where I’m having to rely on what I already know to move forward or to remain faithful. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to have so much to hold on to as I move forward, but it’s a struggle pretty consistently, but that’s the point isn’t it. I had a thought when I was in the baptismal font at the temple “there is no way that this is true, this is all just too crazy.” What was interesting to me was of all places for me to have a doubt, it was in the temple, doing the work for others. And I thought, “if it can happen here, then it can happen anywhere.”
This is when I have to talk myself through why I believe in the gospel, and then move on. It’s interesting how that happens sometimes, I even had some thoughts like this the other day, and again, I had to walk myself through my testimony again, and get myself back on track. I don’t think that these moments are indicative of a lack of faith for me, but more show that I have a mind that is always moving and always shifting through information and trying to work things out. In fact, I think, for me, it’s important that I stop and reflect, at times, on why I actually believe in the gospel. For me, that indicates that my testimony is active and has the ability to grow instead of just being piled on to.