You Know Enough

Following is part of a talk given by Neil L. Andersen of the Seventy at October General Conference. As I listened to his words I felt so in tune with the Spirit. Yes, I may not know everything BUT I know enough. I have days when I feel like I'm never going to get this earth life right. I know others have the same feeling sometimes. After 'hearing' this message I feel so much better about what I do know. I don't have to be perfect but I must strive for perfection as stated in Matthew 5:48. We can't be mediocre, there is no gray area in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we either do the best we can every day or we don't. We will make mistakes but it's a mistake to think we can't pick ourselves up and move forward. The Lord doesn't expect us to obtain perfection while in this mortal probation but He does expect us to give it our best shot. There is hope and I love that for without hope what would there be? I hope you will read the following excerpt with your spiriutal eyes and ponder and pray about these words. Bold print added by me for emphasis.

Neil L. Andersen of the Seventy. . . .
Nearly 40 years ago as I contemplated the challenge of a mission, I felt very inadequate and unprepared. I remember praying, “Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?” I believed in the Church, but I felt my spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling came: “You don’t know everything, but you know enough!” That reassurance gave me the courage to take the next step into the mission field.

Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon.

We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right. Remember Nephi’s words: “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”2
Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone.

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith. Jesus said, “Be not afraid, only believe.”4

Through the years we take these important spiritual steps over and over again. We begin to see that “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”5 Our questions and doubts are resolved or become less concerning to us. Our faith becomes simple and pure. We come to know what we already knew.