Doubt Your Doubts

In October 2013 General Conference, President Uchtdorf said, "It’s natural to have questions--the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith--even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters--my dear friends--please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

We all have doubts. Some of our greatest battles occur within our own minds. It's what we do with those doubts, which will determine the direction of our lives. While I'm a Sunday School class I was taught about a disciple of Christ who also doubted:

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

As Peter looked around at the boisterous sea, he was reminded of his doubts rather than his faith. As he took his eyes off the Savior, his carnal understandings took control of his reactions. He was a fisherman. He knew the properties of water and knew that walking on water wasn't meant to happen. And so it is with us--many things that require faith cannot be understood through our carnal understandings. Believing there is a God cannot be proven simply by science. Faith takes leaping away from the edge of understanding. It takes trust. It takes seeking God and then applying the feelings of the heart. It cannot be proven by science, but it can be felt within ourselves.

How many times in our lives do we take our eyes from the Savior? How many times do we allow ourselves to be tossed by the boisterious sea rather than taking hold of the truths of the Gospel? Sometimes it is easy to take in our circumstances without allowing the Savior to play an active role.

When my little brother died, it was these verses of scriptures that helped my daughter finally put her trust in God. It was through realizing that Peter took his eyes from the Savior, which caused him to struggle. This lesson encouragesd her to keep her focus on the Savior, which then helped her to overcome.

1 Nephi 3

TRUST IN THE LORD

When Nephi and his brothers were sent to get the plates, even though the Lord commanded them to do so--it still wasn't easy. They attempted to get the plates from Laban twice with complete failure and nearly dying in both of those attempts. It wasn't until their third attempt that Nephi actually obtained the plates. This experience causes me to reflect on our own lives. I think I mistakenly assume that when I am on the Lord's errand, the circumstances surrounding that errand will become easy. I assume that He wants me to accomplish the task; therefore, any or all difficulty will be avoided. However, this just simply isn't the case. We are taught that there must be opposition in all things. Understanding that opposition comes even when we are doing good is crucial in our success with whatever it is that we are endeavoring to accomplish.

As we understand the opposition we may face, it gives us the strength to preserver in faith. Believing that God truly is with us, and as we preserver he will create an opportunity for us to succeed. But faith isn't just a hope it requires action and the Lord can't help us unless we are continually moving our feet "acting" as He would need us to do so. As we "act", He will guide those actions into our accomplishing the task. It won't be easy. It won't necessarily happen on the first attempt; however, as we trust that He truly will help us despite the opposition we face, we will succeed.

I have been attempting to write a book for several years. I think I have been allowing the opposition to win. I trust in the Lord; however, my trust is lessoned as the enormity of the task overwhelms my senses. Only through faith and trust in Him will this goal be accomplished.