What is Truth?

I came across a passage in the New Testament recently that, somehow, I had never noticed before. So, naturally, I thought I'd write a post about it. 

When being judged by Pilate, Jesus said, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." Then Pilate asks the critical question of the Savior: "What is truth?" (John 18:27-38). 

In talking about this very passage, John Vandenburg said, "Pilate left Jesus standing alone, without granting Him the courtesy of reply. One wonders why. Such action leads one to believe that Pilate feared the truth, perhaps as others might fear it--not being willing to face up to it, not wishing to take upon themselves the discipline and responsibility demanded by truth" ("What Is Truth?", April 1978). 

I have learned by sad experience that Elder Vandenburg is right. There are many who fear the truth. There are many who have no desire to even find out what the truth is. It breaks my heart, because I know this truth is the most important and life-changing thing they could ever know. 

Early in my mission, I remember talking with a man who said, very condescendingly, something along these lines: "Truth is personalized and unique for each individual. I have searched and found my own truth -- what's right for me." He was in no way interested in hearing what we had to say. We walked away, and my mind was turning. On what planet is that the definition of truth? In actuality, "truth is a knowledge of things as they really are, were, and will be. It does not change with conditions or time. Truth is the same in every age and culture" (Preach My Gospel 75).

In computer programming, there are things called Boolean variables, represented by 1s and 0s. With booleans, a condition is either true or false, yes or no, on or off. There's no 0.5 for "sort of true". That's the way truth is. Either something is true, or it's not. Either 2+2=4, or it doesn't (see 1984 by George Orwell). Either gravity exists, or it doesn't (see Christofferson, "Free Forever, to Act for Themselves"). Either Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, or he wasn't. He couldn't have been just a good man or a prophet. If he wasn't the Son of God, then he was a liar, a blasphemer -- everything the Pharisees said he was. Either Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, or he wasn't. He, too, couldn't have just been a good man. If he wasn't a prophet, if he didn't see what he said he saw, he, too, was a liar and a blasphemer -- everything the mobs said he was. Either the Book of Mormon is true, or it isn't. Truth is absolute. It is in no way personalized, unique, or individual. It is universal. 

I know for myself that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is true, and that this is the only true church on the earth. And everyone can find out these truths for themselves, because God is the Source of all truth, and he will not lie. He can not lie. He promises us in the scriptures, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). We have to be willing to "try the experiment of its goodness" (Alma 32). "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God..." (John 7:17). "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5).

My invitation is to seek the truth. Pray to find it out. Search it in the scriptures. If you haven't before, meet with your local missionaries, or chat with them online. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

All You Need is Love

At the beginning of my mission, our mission president encouraged us to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover with a question in mind. I've done that several times now on my mission, and I thought I'd share what I learned from my first time around. 

In the words of Paul (Paul McCartney, that is), "all you need is love." And even though he claims "it's easy," it isn't always. How can we develop love, even when it's difficult? How can we increase our "love of God, and of all men"?

One of my favorite examples of love in The Book of Mormon is that of Nephi and his father Lehi. In 1 Nephi 1:5, Nephi describes Lehi praying "with all his heart, in behalf of his people." This is a common theme: love comes when you pray for others. When Nephi sees how hardened his brothers Laman and Lemuel are, he cries unto the Lord for them. Enos, the grandson of Lehi, "prayed unto [the Lord] with many long struggling a for [his] brethren, the Lamanites." Lehi tries to help his sons repent as he "exhorts them with all the feeling of a tender parent," showing forth his love for them, yet they still don't change. 

For me, this is one of the most frustrating parts of missionary work. Regardless of how much love you have, many are unwilling to change. My sister said about her mission, "You love big and you hurt big." The prophet Alma described that hurt as "great anxiety even unto pain" for the spiritual well-being of his brethren (Alma 13:27). It's easier as a missionary -- and in life -- to steel your emotions to prevent the ups and downs of life's emotional roller-coaster. But that's not the Lord's way. 

Nephi certainly understood this. Even after his brothers had attempted to kill him four times, he "did frankly forgive them" (1 Nephi 7:21). What's more, they tried to kill him 3 more times after that. I can say with reasonable assurance that I do not have that much love for anyone. Yet, regardless of his brothers' actions against him, he always loved them. He never gave up on them. The last chapter that Nephi writes, he says, "For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night because of them; and I cry into my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry....I have charity for my people and great faith in Christ..." (2 Nephi 33:3,7). Even until the end of his life, he was still praying for them with all of his heart, crying -- literally crying -- to God in their behalf. 

Of course, the greatest example of love is Jesus Christ. In his talk "Character of Christ," Elder Bednar talks about the love and selflessness of Christ. Even after Christ had suffered the greatest agonies known to man in the Garden of Gethsemane, he healed a man's ear. Even as he was suffering on the cross, he forgave his torturers. "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world..." (2 Nephi 26:24). Christ was the perfect example in all things, and especially in showing forth love. Christ instructs, "But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you" (3 Nephi 12:44). Loving your friends probably isn't very difficult, but loving your enemies is. That's the true measure of your love. As we develop the love of God and of all men, all other things fall into place. Love of God leads to obedience to His commandments. It leads us to strive to develop all of the attributes of Christ. Love of our fellow men leads us to serve them with sincerity. So, at least when it comes to serving and living the gospel, maybe the Beatles were right: "love is all you need."

Additional references: Jacob 2:3, Enos 1:9,11, Words of Mormon 1:8, Alma 26:30, Alma 34:27,29, Alma 38:12, Helaman 7:6, Moroni 7:45-48, Moroni 10:21. 

God's Ways are Higher than Ours

Four years ago, I had it made (or so I thought). I was a sophomore at Madison High School in Rexburg, ID, and I had found my niche. I had done well in concert and marching band, tennis, and speech and debate, and competed at state tournaments in several of those events. In my mind, I was on my way. Then, partway through my sophomore year, God threw a wrench in all of that. He had different plans for me.

My parents got called to serve as mission president and wife of the Washington Federal Way Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That meant I would be moving away from Rexburg with them for the next three years. For me, that was life-shattering.

I moved the summer after my sophomore year to Kent, WA. I had a fairly negative attitude through most of it, and during the summer, I didn't really branch out beyond the reaches of my bedroom and our backyard. I was terrified to start at a new school where I would know nobody.

School started, and not much changed for me. Most of the friends I had made at church either didn't go to my school or weren't in my grade. I kept to myself in classes and at lunch. I mostly felt sorry for myself, and I spent a lot of time wishing I could go back to Idaho. I was surrounded by profanity and vulgarity as I had never before experienced.

Then, a few months into the school year, something changed. I made a few great friends. I stopped focusing so much on myself. That's when the real change occurred. When my attitude changed from "woe is me" to trying to help others and be their friend, suddenly I was far happier.

I grew to love Washington. Now, when people ask me which I preferred, I honestly can't tell them. Because of that move, I was able to grow in ways I never could have in Rexburg. I was faced with more spiritual adversity, and so I grew more. I was able to meet and love and help people I never would have met otherwise, and I was loved and helped in ways I never expected. Years later, I'm still learning the wisdom in God's plan.

As I thought about my experiences, the words of Isaiah came to mind: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). As mortals, we have a severely limited perspective. We can only see a small portion of this maze of life, but the Lord can see all of it. Only He can guide us safely through.

John Taylor said, "We know in part, and see in part, and comprehend in part and many of the things of God are hid from our view, both things that are past, things that are present, and things that are to come" (Journal of Discourses, 1:368). When we try and rely on ourselves instead of on the Lord, we will inevitably become lost. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

My invitation to you is pray. Take your plans to the Lord, and ask Him to guide you. If you are open, He will.