Doubt Your Doubts

We spent a rainy weekend watching this. That happens twice a year for us, and it is far and away the most relaxing two weekends of my year - more so because of the words I hear and love I feel rather than the sweat pants I spend my entire weekend wearing. But the sweats most definitely play their role.

Sometimes words are spoken that resonate completely and significantly with every listening person. You almost feel it, that collective resonance. On Saturday, I felt like that happened with this simple sentence:

Those are strong words. Maybe because even the strongest of people need to hear them. Sometimes we turn doubts into something to hold onto. Some sort of rock that we think provides strength because it pushes against something we thought we knew to be true, something we had faith in. So you size up this new doubt and realize that if you stand behind it, it can be quite effective. You no longer have to face what you knew. You just stand there, letting that doubt stand there taller than you, and you begin to believe it is solid.

But doubts are not made of anything lasting. Faith is forever. Truth is forever. I believe that questions are important, and they deserve respect. I believe that people with questions are important, and they deserve respect. But building a question into a doubt, and purposefully leaning on that more than faith, will not lead to happiness. Doubting faith before doubting doubts is intentional, and will not ultimately lead to true understanding. 

So, doubt what you don't know before you doubt what you know. These words are so true across the board, right? 

What if they were applied to every person in your life? Doubt what you don't know about them (assumptions about motives, circumstances) before you doubt what you know (they are a child of God, they deserve love, there is something you can do to make them happier). 

What if it was applied to how you think about yourself, and your abilities? Doubt what you don't know (what if taking a chance doesn't work out? What if I can't do it?) before you doubt what you know (I am a child of God. There are things working together for my good. If I do my best while following the Lord, things will work out. I know enough).

That really is the key. We don't know everything, but we know enough. So why is dwelling on what we don't know better than dwelling on what we do?

It's not.

Especially in a world like ours.

There were plenty of other wonderful things about this weekend. But the almost palpable effect this simple sentence had just really struck me. And it seems like now more than ever is the time to focus on simple truths, rather than complex questions and doubts.

So with two inches off my hair, and two days of messages from living prophets, I'm just feeling a lot lighter over here. And that's a cherished feeling.