Feature Article
You Know Enough | Other fomats
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, November 2008
On April 4, 2009, following the December 2008 passing of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustained a newly called apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Neil L. Andersen, formerly of the Presidency of the Seventy. In honor of Elder Andersen's call to the apostleship, the General Feature for June is an address he delivered during the October 2008 General Conference of the Church, entitled "You Know Enough."
Because in this life we do not have a perfect knowledge of all of God's workings with us as His children, we are often required to exercise a great amount of faith and trust in those things "which are not seen [or felt], which are true" (Alma 32:21). Elder Andersen assures us that while we may not know everything, and may even wrestle with doubt, we can, and do, know enough. He stated,
While there are many experiences…full of spiritual power and confirmation, there are also days when we feel inadequate and unprepared, when doubt and confusion enter our spirits, when we have difficulty finding our spiritual footing. Part of our victory as disciples of Christ is what we do when these feelings come…
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 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.’…
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.’
As part of a series of Mormon Messages, the Church has produced a short video message with the heart of Elder Andersen's address:
Our hope is that as each of us sustain Elder Neil L. Andersen in his calling as prophet, seer, and revelator, and apply his counsel in our lives, we will gain a greater confidence in that which we do know, and which will enable us to live with integrity and faith as we continue to grow into the fullness of knowledge of all of God's eternal mystery and glory.
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