As an online missionary I teach people all over the world about our basic beliefs. Sometimes the discussions and questions lead to deep doctrine or speculative queries. Other times the chats turn to topics or questions of a trivial or inconsequential nature. I like to remind them that I am here to teach about and share our basic beliefs, not the things God hasn't revealed to us yet. Ultimately I am here to help people to solidify their gospel foundation. Sometimes though, people are impatient and want to start building from the top down which we know doesn't work.Thinking about this reminds me of my time as a little kid at church. The classes for the young children about 3-11 are broken up by each grade, but they are collectively referred to as primary. If you are in that age group you attend a Sunday school class with your grade and then a joint primary meeting. The reason I share this is because the lessons for those children have to be simple. They are rooted in the simple but important doctrines. Doctrines and teachings like God is your loving Father in Heaven, God speaks through prophets, God answers prayers, Christ is our Savior, teaching about the importance of attending church, reading the scriptures, saying your prayers, and keeping the commandments. All these things are so simple; they are referred to in our church as the primary answers. The thing is, the primary answers, although not exciting to some, not deep enough to really be studied and dissected; they are the foundation of what we know to be true.
So when you feel that you need to dive into ideas or teachings that you feel have not been answered yet, I want you to ask yourself this...have you taken the time to study the truths that are available to us? Have you read the scriptures and words of the living prophet and apostles that we have on the earth today? Are you doing the little things? Because if not, I have some bad news for you...
You may not be smarter than a 5th Grader...or in this case, a primary kid :) We need to get back to the basics.
Are you Smarter..?
Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader is my brother's favorite show. I can't wait to share this with him. He's preparing to go on a mission and will need to see the importance of the primary answers.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good perspective! I've learned that pondering upon the basic will lead to more revealed, but simple, understanding. And there is so much to understand and internalize that the basics could be learned from for a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThank you.