"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13)

My 14 year old son gave me a puzzle for Christmas. To be totally honest, when I first unwrapped the gift I thought, "I hate puzzles. I am so not a puzzle person". The puzzle is over 750 pieces and is a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, The Last Supper. He was very excited about his gift. Because my son gave it to me, I decided I would pursue doing this puzzle of The Last Supper. It has been a real eye opener for me as I have found where pieces fit, slowly having the entire thing put together. The things I have learned as I found the placement of each piece are beautiful. 

One of the things I learned is that a puzzle is similar to the gospel. One must desire to put the whole thing together. As we do so with diligence and patience each piece eventually fits in it's proper place. Even when I thought I had lost a piece, or perhaps may have put one in the wrong place, or it didn't seem that it would actually fit in the place it is suppose to go, slowly all the pieces fit in their "proper order" (Alma 41:2,4). Everything comes together in the Lord’s timing.

Another thing I learned is the promise from the Lord is also like the puzzle. It is repeated often in the scriptures. "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). When I first started working on the puzzle my attitude was doubtful that I would be able to complete it or find all the pieces on my own. But as I found more and more pieces, I would make time, and eventually spend all my extra time seeking for the proper order and placement of the pieces. The Lord says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7; see also Luke 11:9; 3 Nephi 14:7). How true this is with each principle of the gospel and in coming to know the Savior. When we ask, and seek, He guides us and helps us put the pieces together into one great whole. It becomes this beautiful Masterpiece.

Ironically enough, Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency said this: “The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle- one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us-not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed” (Waiting on the Road to Damascas).

I love the Lord. I love how He works, one piece at a time, to help us learn all that we need to in order to draw closer to Him and eventually see Him as He is and become like Him (see Moroni 7:48 1 John 3:1-3).

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"...seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom" (D&C 88:118)

I must confess something. I am having an affair...with the scriptures. I love the scriptures! Honestly, these are my favorite books. I have derived more inspiration, guidance, understanding and love of others, and so much more as I have feasted on these fat books of knowledge, and divine inspiration (see 2 Nephi 31:20; 2 Timothy 3:16). Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley describes exactly how I feel about the scriptures and my personal scripture study. He said: "I do not claim distinction as a scholar of the scriptures. For me, the reading of the scriptures is not the pursuit of scholarship. Rather, it is a love affair with the word of the Lord and that of his prophets. They contain so much for each of us" (Feasting upon the Scriptures). This love affair is awesome for my marriage, for my family, for our children, for my relationship with God. This love affair has stirred a desire in me to be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter of God. The power of the scriptures can't be stated enough.

When the Lord said, "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118; D&C 109:7,14), for me, He wasn't talking about reading a beautiful quote book, a college text book, or even a book from the New York Times best seller list. He was referring to the books that are the words from His mouth (see D&C 1:38), the scriptures. He says, "Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled" (D&C 1:37). "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Revelations 1:3). "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. And all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man [and woman] of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

I could go on and on about all the wonderful qualities of the scriptures and try and convince you to have your own love affair with them that will bless your life eternally. But, I won't. Rather, I would encourage you to "...seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom, yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118; D&C 109:7,14)