Questions and uncertainty are important elements of our journey to becoming faithful disciples
How is developing our faith similar? Like these blind men, if we only believe the first thing we hear or feel, we鈥檒l never find the whole truth. Instead, to have true faith, we must explore other options and then choose what to believe.
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, 鈥淲e simply don鈥檛 know all things 鈥� we can鈥檛 see everything. 鈥� We have to trust the Lord, who sees all things clearly. 鈥� That is because there is one source of truth that is complete, correct, and incorruptible. That source is our infinitely wise and all-knowing Heavenly Father.鈥�
Faith is not blind
Emeritus General Authority Seventy Bruce C. Hafen and Sister Marie Hafen teach a process called 鈥� 鈥�Like the blind men in the poem, an optimist will gladly hold on to their beliefs without considering other possibilities. Being optimistic is good as long as we are still open to questions: the Apostle Paul, Enos, and Joseph Smith all had powerful conversion experiences because they were willing to ask questions and change their beliefs.
THE PESSIMIST
A pessimistic blind man may begin to say that he never felt anything in the first place and that it was all a lie.
Sometimes when our faith is challenged, it can be tempting to feel like we never had faith in the first place.
counseled, 鈥淗old fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.鈥�THE IMPROVER
An improver disciple is one who uses his or her doubts to empathize with others, seek answers, and show love.
The choice to believe
The analogy of the blind men and the elephant proves we can choose whether to believe or not. Remember the hope and peace you feel when you have prayers answered or you see small miracles in your life. These are examples of God鈥檚 awareness and mercy. We may not have all the answers, but we can always choose to believe.