Tuesday, December 17, 2019

On Not Understanding Tools

I both do and do not know how to solve a Rubik's Cube. I know how to turn the sides of a cube to unscramble them. I know which moves to use at which times, but I have very little idea how those moves work. I don't know much about which moves move which pieces in what ways. Thankfully, I don't need to know how it works; I just need to know how to make it work.

Similarly, there's a lot I don't know about certain ordinances, the Priesthood, resurrection, and the Atonement. I'm not sure I understand all the forces at play here or how they interact with each other. Again, thankfully, I don't need to know. I don't need to know why baptism is essential in order to know that baptism is essential and how to perform them. I don't need to know how the resurrection will work out in order to be confident that it will. And I don't need to know how Jesus Christ was able to take my sins upon Himself; I just need to give my sins to Him and try not to make more of them.

This may seem foolish. I'm using powerful tools I don't fully understand. Yet, we all to that every day. We don't all know how computers work, but we know enough about them that we can use them to do great things. So what if I don't know the difference between a CPU and a GPU? I don't need to know how a computer works in order to use it.

So, while it's true that there are several gaping gaps in my Gospel knowledge, I think I know enough. At least, I know enough to let me make good use of the Gospel and its ordinances to bless myself and others, and that's all I really need for now. Of course, I'd love to study the Gospel more and better understand it, just as I would love to learn more about Rubik's Cubes and computers. Such information could help me to use those tools even better. But in the meantime, I understand those tools well enough to know how to use them, and at this stage of my life, that's all I really need.

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