All wisdom is from God

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the October 1984 Conference.

As I try to teach the principles of the gospel to my children, I often think about how simple the concepts are—counterintuitive, sometimes, but still simple. Even my youngest children seem to grasp naturally that when we trust God, it is easier to follow him; or why it would be good to treat others like we want to be treated. (Actually DOING this, obviously, takes more effort.) But I also like this perspective from Elder Royden G. Derrick:

In my limited experience in the fields of religion and education, it has been my observation that it takes as much intelligence for one to assimilate the principles of the gospel as it does for one to understand the complicated formulas of science. An understanding of the gospel is a quest and must be pursued through study, thought, and prayer.

There is so much substance to these simple principles. You can think you understand them. Then you can think you really understand them. Then you can see that you didn't truly understand them fully, but NOW you are finally starting to understand them. And after several cycles of this you start to realize just how far you have to go before you really understand anything! :) Sometimes when I'm in one of these "valleys" where I feel like I'm starting over, I feel discouraged about how inadequate my previous and current understanding is. That's why I liked this quote: it reminds me that gospel learning is not intended to be an easy or temporary process. We are no more expected to master it quickly than we would be expected to understand quantum mechanics after only a few years of study. But, I also like the reassurance that if we put in that "study, thought, and prayer," we will "assimilate the principles of the gospel" someday!

And along those lines I liked his further quote from Brigham Young:

Brigham Young taught: “All true wisdom that mankind have they have received from God, whether they know it or not. There is no ingenious mind that has ever invented anything beneficial to the human family but what he obtained it from that One Source. … There is only one source from whence men obtain wisdom, and that is God, the fountain of all wisdom; and though men may claim to make their discoveries by their own wisdom, by meditation and reflection, they are indebted to our Father in Heaven for all.” (Journal of Discourses, 13:148.)

It reminds me of this experience where I received spiritual help with practicing the piano and realized how Heavenly Father is the best at…everything. So he can help us with everything! It sounds kind of funny to say it this way, but I've been thinking this week about how God's expertise can even help give me guidance in something as mundane as toilet training Ziggy. And it does and He has! "We are indebted to our Father in Heaven FOR ALL."