It ought to be self-evident that anything that is true is beneficial, and anything that is false is of less value than what is true. However, the way almost everyone lives suggests that it is anything but self-evident. We tend to view life—others, ourselves, our environments—as normative. We introspect based on what we wish we had seen, what we hope we are, and what we hope for the future. This leads to many problems. In fact, perhaps it is the leading cause of problems in this world.
Consider all the problems that are, at their root, caused by a normative bias. All human disagreements are, at their root, an unwillingness by one or both parties to see things as they really are. All individual weakness is, at its root, an unwillingness to see things as they really are.
We have to learn to see things as they really are, not how we hope they are. In a nutshell, human reality is that the heart of mankind is evil by default, and that the world we live in has unavoidable constraints. Therefore, almost any solution to almost any problem will take the form of an imperfect but optimal approach built around the constraints of reality and based on an acknowledgement of the predictably wicked behavior of man.
Do not be shocked at how far afield this approach might seem from the simplistic notion that if everyone would just follow the Ten Commandments, mankind would be instantly ushered into paradise. It was the Lord himself who, when asked why Moses gave permission for the Israelite men to divorce their wives, replied “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives” (Matthew 19:8). His disciples responded by complaining about how his suggestion of a more insoluble marriage made it undesirable. Instead of backtracking or revealing some secret about how delightful permanent marriage is, he said “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given” and suggested a variety of ways to instead be celibate (Matthew 19:10-12).
God works with reality, not against it.
Increased awareness is always a blessing
Awareness is a finite estimate of an infinite reality. Therefore, our understanding of reality is always an approximation of actual reality. Even when we do our best to sincerely conform to our current understanding of reality, we will encounter disappointment by learning that reality is different than we had supposed. This type of disappointment, however, is a blessing. It is disillusionment—the discovery of the incorrectness of a previously held belief.
Disillusionment is not failure to obtain what you seek. Instead, disillusionment is discovery. It is the discovery that what you desire cannot be found in how you were seeking it.
Disillusionment occurs when increased awareness reveals that your previous perceptions were incorrect or incomplete. Of these two, being incorrect seems to be at least as common as having an incomplete understanding, as most new truth intersects with previously held truth.
It is a step closer to obtaining what you desire by learning another place where it isn’t to be found. It is moving your aim closer to what you actually seek.
Disillusionment means the removal of illusions. The price for knowledge is disillusionment. The price for continual knowledge acquisition is continual disillusionment.
Like babies sitting on a parent’s lap, we know nothing of the glory that awaits those that love God. He will reveal it line upon line. That process necessarily includes disillusionment, but disillusionment is a gift, not a punishment. Solomon said get wisdom with all your getting. You should get disillusionment with all your getting. It is the best thing you can do.
Increased awareness is always a blessing, and it should be sought after, not hid from.
God will correct us
When Jesus told the apostles of his impending crucifixion, they said:
30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16)
The apostles genuinely thought they were converted, but the Lord knew that they would shortly flee from him. The Lord allowed the apostles to believe all sorts of things that were not exactly correct. If they had just asked him, he would have corrected them. What does he know about you or me? What is he willing to tell us if we just ask?
We know that “...the word of God...divide[s] asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead[s] the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked.” (Helaman 3:29) Can he guide you across the gulf of misery if you don’t allow him to correct your path? The Lord said:
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, _except ye abide in me_.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for _without me ye can do nothing_. (John 15)
To the extent that we seek and obey him, he will send the fruits of the light and truth we accept into our lives. However, the presence of fruit does not prove that there are no higher fruits available. To all who will submit to his purging, he offers higher blessings. These stronger fruits will come the same way the first came, through obtaining and living his word—new words, higher words—words that extend beyond or replace what we know. Staying on the path, or continual progress towards God, requires continuous change. We stay on the strait and narrow path by accepting new truth that is offered to us. The path is not a destination. It is a process.
The process is always the same: be open minded enough to believe something could be true, then try it and follow the fruits. You will receive new lessons, new words.
18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31)
We do not stay on the path to God by staying the same. We must feast upon the word (or in other words, get more of it!) and endure to the end (or in other words, live according to what you have received without exception). Staying the same is to accept our present distance from God, forever. Those who turn away from God's pruning step off of the strait and narrow way. Their detour may be temporary or permanent. They re-enter the path the same way they stayed on it—by obtaining and obeying new truth.
A young man who came to the Lord asked him what good thing he could do to gain eternal life (see Matthew 19). The Lord replied: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21) Given the man’s shock and disdain when Jesus told him to give everything he had away, it is apparent that he was expecting God to tell him something aligned with what he already believed.
It is pointless to seek for God to tell you what you already think you know. If you go to God, you ought to assume he will tell you something that you don’t know. There are only two types of information that you don’t know: something that adds to what you know, or something that contradicts what you know.
As we see in the exchange with the young man, the Lord Jesus always tries to teach things softly at first, and usually doesn't go past that unless we ask him to. Because we don’t, we miss most of God’s attempts to teach us. New truth can’t come without increased capacity to obey. Heed and diligence are required to increase our capacity to obey as yet unknown commandments.
Like this man, we ought to persist with God, begging him to be blunt with us in our oblivious ignorance. We ought to plead with God daily to reveal more light and truth to us. He will answer that prayer. He can do this in many ways. He will speak to your mind and your heart. God can send an angel to teach you, or come to you himself. You may hear an audible voice. You may be led to a particular scripture. You may be prompted to investigate certain books or Bible translations. You may be prompted to look at certain videos or websites. You may have a gospel conversation with a new acquaintance or an old friend. It is impossible to list every possibility. Have an open mind.
By default, we are separated from God. Unlike in the garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve dwelled in the literal presence of God (they saw and spoke to him regularly), each of us is born into a situation where we do not see God, and we are not aware of his voice.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the process by which we become reconciled to God, regaining the relationship with God that Adam and Eve had in the garden of Eden, but retaining an expanded awareness. A key part of this process is his commandments—progressive instructions that give us increasingly more accurate estimations of his character, so that we can become more and more like he is.
Because the gospel is a process of becoming more like he is, and because our default state is to be opposite to how he is, we ought to understand that the gospel is the process of being corrected, over and over again.
You can predict how far a person will go in their life's purpose by seeing how they react to the light, or to correction. Unfortunately, just as the default state of man is to be separated from God, the default state of man is to “sit in darkness,” or not come to the light. This manifests in their refusing to consider something better, or actively fighting against it.
Very, very few people rejoice in correction. The rareness of this quality alone sufficiently explains why so few achieve celestial glory. It is by far the rarest thing on earth. Most of us bumble through life completely unaware of the sources of further light around us. Most of us run away from the very things we need most in life.
We can't progress in ignorance. It is better to know of our faults with God rather than incorrectly believe we are righteous.
If we submit to the Spirit, which is the reason we are here, we will find that it leads us to places we never supposed. God will shed light on all the dark corners of our character, and we will find ourselves traversing wave after wave of personal, deep change. As we endure more and more polishing—and outright rebuilding—we will acquire and assimilate more and more truth.
Embracing the truth is trust in God
Your greatest barrier to progression is an inflated perception of your true state. Your perception of available truth is far less than reality. In all likelihood, you believe you have much more truth than you actually do. If you turn to God and seek more truth will all your heart, might, mind, and strength, he will show you what you lack. “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” (Daniel 2:22) He artfully orchestrates each life to abundantly display what we lack in order to best help us turn to him to improve:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)
The Lord knows everything; we know nothing. The Lord is all loving; we love wickedness. Do we believe this? If so, should we not assume that God’s path will diverge from what we would choose for ourselves if left to ourselves? And is not any such deviation a blessing?
The key to expanding our knowledge is to trust God and seek him without reservation:
And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. (D&C 88:67)
49 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.
50 Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound. (D&C 88)
We can become aware of all things, but it will take a great deal of time and effort. Until then we need—and ironically, can only get there by developing—tremendous trust in God.
Trust in God is shown by relentlessly reconciling yourself to the light that you have. You admit that you don’t know a great deal, and therefore are undoubtedly committing to paths that are less than optimal, but you understand what it means to do your best, and as you do it unfailingly, you can trust that any proximate outcome is exactly what is needed to help you get to something better. This kind of attitude provides peace far beyond what is available in the world. It is the peace Jesus promised in what seems like the contradictory situation of bearing the yoke his way of living provides.
Fear of truth
There is absolutely no reason to fear the truth. Too many people fear what God might reveal to them. They do not know or believe that he is perfectly loving and all wise. Instead, they react to further light and truth as Herod reacted when he heard the prophecy of the birth of Jesus: “he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:3) Both the Roman governor and the ruling religionists feared an upset of their current system. If they had trusted God, they would have rejoiced no matter the predicted change, as whatever God sends to those that love him is uniquely designed to maximize their happiness.
God’s mission is to free us from the prison of ignorance and incorrectness. Isaiah wrote that the mission of the Lord’s servant is: “To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” (Isaiah 42:7) When the Lord performed his mortal mission “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16)
To sit in darkness is described here as being a prisoner in a dungeon. Those who ask, “why would I want to subject myself to disillusionment?” are like prisoners in a dungeon who ask, “why would I want to get out of here?” The darkness allows them to ignore their plight. They do not see their surroundings or their shackles.
Learn to trust God and submit yourself to his correction:
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. (Psalm 141)
It has been said that nothing real can be threatened and that nothing unreal exists. What are you afraid of losing, if by acquiring truth all you can lose is what is false?
People who do not yet trust God have a list of things God has commanded people to do in the past that they would never do. Sometimes, they get rid of that list by transferring it to a list of things they believe God would never command them to do. There is no difference. These people sometimes say things like, “the God I believe in would never command me to ___.” In a way, they are right. As Jesus said, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what [whom] we worship.” (John 4:22) We know him because we have met him, and this is always the result of those who worship God in spirit and in truth.
Those who do not yet trust God believe in a God of their own creation. He does not have power to reveal himself to them, and he does not have power to save. We are saved as a result of knowing the true God, not believing in a God of our own creation. We are saved because he possesses intelligence that exceeds our own, not because he matches what we in our fallen state consider to be right or wrong.
Ironically, those who put God in a box do so out of fear. They fear that if they let God out of their boxes, he would end up less loving, less merciful, or less good than they presently imagine him to be. That is ironic because it is only by removing your limitations of him that you can see just how loving, merciful, and good he really is! This realization far exceeds anything you can imagine when you box him up in false traditions. If you look at every person in the scriptures who came to know God, you will struggle to find someone who found him less godly upon getting to know him. Instead, you see the opposite. You see deep, loving, worshipful reverence increase in proportion to how well someone knows God.
Putting God in a box does not protect you from disappointment. It keeps you from a portion (a considerable portion) of his goodness and glory. You may have experienced God in some way—spiritual gifts, revelation, joy, or even visitations—but your experiences are limited and diminished compared to what he could show you if you were less inhibited by your preconceived notions. In the scriptures, there are those who had miracles, those who had revelation, those that experienced great joy, those that saw him, even those that touched him. But of the set of everyone who experienced God in some way, how many were able to abide in his glory? The answer is surprisingly few. With almost every experience, he held something back, sometimes considerably so. Every commandment you refuse to consider diminishes your potential glory, but it also diminishes the quantity of the Lord's glory you are able to abide. For each thing “your God would never ask you to do,” you remove yourself from the opportunity to experience that much more of him.
I believe in a God who killed perhaps billions of people in a worldwide flood. I believe in a God who commanded Abraham and Isaac to lie. I believe in a God who allowed Hagar to be cast away. I believe in a God who commanded Moses to slay cities of men, women, children, and animals, none of which had ever previously met their attackers. I believe in a God who chose to heal only one of the countless handicapped at the pool of Bethesda. I believe in a God who considers heeding a single prophetic dream sufficient to decide between the life and death of millions of people. I believe in a God who called David, a man who killed Uriah to cover the adulterous relationship with his wife, a man after his own heart. I believe in a God who asked Nephi to kill Laban.
Does your theology account for all of these things? If not, you must confess that this God is not the God you worship. Not yet, at least. What are you doing about that?