"Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things..." Alma 32:21

Today, I am pondering faith a bit. "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; ...if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Some things are true that I cannot see with my physical eyes. I can't see the wind, but there is evidence of the wind. I see the evidence of the wind as it blows  leaves off of trees and at times, gently caresses my skin and ruffles my hair.

As I have pondered things that are true, but I can't see, I have also thought about learning. I have to ask myself, am I willing to learn all that God wants me to learn, even when I can't see the end from the beginning? What about from all sources? Am I willing to learn His ways through enduring all things? Am I willing to "...seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118).

This leads me to ponder about being humble and teachable. I ask, how humble am I, really? "...for I verily believe that there are some among you who would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might [be in]" (Alma 32:25). And there are some who, no matter what their circumstances, no matter their suffering, they want a sign, saying: "If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe" (Alma 32:18). But, receiving a "sign" requires no faith. On the other hand, "ye shall receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6). In other words, faith proceeds the miracle. I continue to work on this.

Some days can be so difficult that thoughts of quitting tease and taunt me. But I don't quit. And I don't give up. I keep believing and having faith in a loving God (see 1 John 4:16; Ephesians 2:4), who is "merciful unto all who believe on His name" (Alma 32:22). I believe and have faith that there is something more to this life than enduring pain or seeing others suffer (see Luke 12:23). In those times of pain and suffering that don't make sense it is through faith that I can say as Nephi: "I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17). I know in the long run, things always work out...perhaps not as I thought they would, but they always work out.

Am I humble enough to trust God, to have faith in His plan? Especially when things aren't going according to my plan. God's plan is one of happiness (see Alma 42:8). It is one of great joy! His plan is one of choice, we get to choose and receive what our hearts truly desire (see 2 Nephi 2:27-30). Perhaps some do not desire to be like God, "pure even as He is pure". And that is what some people choose. "Remember that [we] are free to act for [ourselves] -to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 2:23). We can choose to put our faith in Jesus Christ, our Creator and our Savior. We can choose to have faith that He knows exactly what we need to learn, and what we need to endure so that we be prepared for that "great and coming day" (3 Nephi 28:31).

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Having faith, for me, is to put my trust in the God that I see in His creations all around me. To trust Him enough to never quit, never give up, no matter how hard or how painful it may be. This I testify.

I see God in all the amazing creations I get to enjoy on a daily basis

His love is even shown in the details of every flower. Look at those peppers! What beauty and creativity!

I see Him in all He creates for my joy and comfort.

Principles that apply in weaving and in life..."Wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:27)

So, I set some goals this year for learning some more basketry techniques. (Basketry is more sculptural and "artistic" than basket making...either way, I love to weave.) And I just completed my first basket that I made following the pattern/tutorial from a book that was written by Kari Lonning, an amazing contemporary basketry artist. I decided I needed to refine my technique and really learn/perfect certain forms of weaving. This is all good stuff, except for the fact that I am a perfectionist and have a really hard time seeing the good in what I do or accomplish- and not just in weaving (that's not so good.) As I am improving my ability to weave, I am also learning that many gospel principles apply to everything in life- even weaving.

Here are 4 things that I am trying to work on and apply in my weaving...and in my daily life.

1) Ask! "...Ye are commanded in all things to ask of God" (D&C 46:7)- this includes learning a new skill, understanding new things, learning His ways. Ask God for help. One of my favorite scriptures is D&C 88:118 "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". I feel like this scripture not only applies to learning about God, His Church, and His ways, but also about learning all truth. There are ways of getting better at developing our talents, and God knows all of those ways. "Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear" (D&C 136:32). As I ask, He will guide my understanding, knowledge, and how to improve in all things. I have learned this for myself. It works!

2) Keep Trying! Sometimes I expect myself to know things perfectly that perhaps I have heard, read, or learned repeatedly over the years, yet, I still make mistakes. I must remember to keep trying. We get to learn "line upon line" (D&C 98:12), a little at a time and over and over. We get to learn things in wisdom and order, which is essential. "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27). This has so many applications in life, and in weaving. As we keep trying and learning in wisdom and order, we will improve and get better at the things we desire most. It's totally worth the effort, especially when we don't run (or expect to perform) faster than we we are able. It will come. Keep trying. It's totally worth the effort.

3) Patience! The scripture in Matthew "Be ye therefore perfect" (Matt. 5:48) is not about being perfect now. Footnote b gives more insight to the meaning of 'perfect'. It says, "complete, finished, fully developed". I am learning and need to practice patience with myself, just as I would my own children because my weaving skills aren't fully developed, finished, or complete. I'm in the developmental stages, just like I am in many things. It takes time to develop new skills, change bad habits, or even learn to be open to the whisperings of the Spirit. So, while I learn these skills, I also get to practice patience. It's a double blessing.

 4) One last thing: Have fun! "Men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). And on those days that might not go as planned, or didn't meet your expectations, follow this advice: "If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that you souls may be joyful" (D&C 136:29). Now that is great advice.

Now- "Go and do" (see 1 Nephi 3:7) ...and have fun will doing all of it! It's worth the effort. This I testify.

The beginning of the basket..."wisdom and order" for sure!

The completed basket...not perfect, but I learned a ton of things! 

A view from the top...remember- Have Fun!

"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)

This morning I got to see something quite unusual. It was a lunar eclipse. The moon was full and the sky was clear. My husband and I had just gone out to start our walk when our neighbor pointed it out it out to us. We would have missed it if he hadn't said something. Sometimes we can learn things on our own, other times we have people teach us, and we learn from them. There is great wisdom in being able to learn from others as well as from "the best books" and from the Spirit (see D&C 88:118).

I wonder if this is a little like the star of Bethlehem. The wise men from the east knew what they were looking for and were able to see the star when so many people didn't see it (see Magi in Bible Dictionary). They were wise as to the things of God, and were prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. The definition of wise is "having the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; sagacious" (The Free Dictionary) and not just knowledgeable, which means, "possessing or showing knowledge or intelligence; perceptive and well-informed" (The Free Dictionary). I believe it is very important to learn about things and have great knowledge. But it is more important to be able to discern what is true and right out of all we learn, "for it is necessary that [we] should learn wisdom" (Alma 32:12).

I want to be wise, so I ask, how can we be wise? I have come to find that there is a lot in the scriptures about wisdom and being wise. But for the moment I will focus on just a couple of items. The first begins with accepting instruction, or learning. The scriptures teach: "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser" (Proverbs 9:9). Being willing to learn from others, take instruction from someone who is less "learned", takes humility and is important in the process of being wise. It has been said of men, "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God" (2 Nephi 9:28-29).  Humility is key in being wise. God will open "the gate" to us when we "come down in the depths of humility" (2 Nephi 9:41-42). We can learn every time we open our ears to hear (see Isaiah 50:5). The Lord wants to bless us and teach us through those who have prepared talks and lessons. It is our responsibility to learn from those who have been called to do so. Sometimes I have found that I have a hard time learning from people I know because I think know their weaknesses. It has taken great humility to set aside my pride and be willing to learn from those whom I have been "hurt" or "offended" by when they are speaking in sacrament meeting. I am the "fool" when I think I know more than God, because He chooses who will be the "instruments in [His hands] in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of [our] Redeemer" (Mosiah 27:36). We will become wise as we put our head in its proper position of humility, recognizing that "He imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto then many times, which confound the wise and the learned" (Alma 32:23). We can learn wisdom from those whom God has asked to speak in church, we just need "ears to hear" (Mark 4:23).

The Savior used a simple story, four verses in fact, about being wise. It is so important that He also told it to the Nephites in America when He appeared to them as well. The story is this: "Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock- And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand- And the rain descended , and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (3 Nephi 14:24-27; Matthew 7:24-27). We must build upon the "rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God" (Helaman 5:12). We have been told "this that [we] may learn wisdom, that [we] may learn...that there is no other way or means (no any other place, thing, item, power, idea, nothing) whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ" (Alma 38:9, italics added).

In order to be saved by Christ, we must know Christ. And to know Christ takes faith, study, learning, and wisdom. "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). We can learn and "seek this Jesus whom the prophets and apostles have written" (Ether 12:41) and "learn of [Him] (D&C 19:23) as we read the words of the prophets and apostles that are written in the scriptures and spoken to us by our prophet and apostles today (those words can be read here). We do this by keeping His commandments because we love Him (see John 14:15), "seek not for riches but for wisdom" (D&C 6:7), "seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from His hand. For... [we] know that He counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all His works" (Jacob 4:10). He loves us so much!!! He will never counsel us in the wrong, it is us who choose to do wrong.

He loves us so much that He allows us to develop our own ability to think, to ponder, to develop wisdom- which is to "discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting". As Paul said: "Finally, brethren (and sisters), whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think of these things" (Philippians 4:8, italics added). Pondering and thinking is a major part of wisdom. It allows the Spirit to teach us and to guide us and discern between truth and error, and between right and wrong, therefore having true wisdom. When we are "still" (Psalms 46:10), we will be guided in "wisdom's path" (Mosiah 2:36) and "by the power of the Holy Ghost [we] may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). This is how we become wise men and women as we "seek this Jesus" (Ether 12:41). This I testify.