“Why do you think God
can share the mysteries only with those whose hearts are softened?”
I have a story that can illustrate the answer to this
question. I was at the library one day because
my computer was down and I needed to type something. I was at a stage in my learning path where
God was helping me to desire to understand others and see into their
hearts. He taught me this lesson to help
me understand why it is such a hard gate to get through. I was pounding away at my computer when
someone else I didn’t know came to sit at the computer beside me. As my fingers were flying over the keyboard when
I noticed he was kinda a hunt-and-peck typer.
At first I was feeling “pretty cool” (prideful) that I could type so
much better than him. (I have since repented of this pride.) Then thoughts like these went through my mind
of “I wonder how much typing experience he has had? Maybe he hadn’t ever had a typing class, or
had that much time at the computer. His
‘tool box’ of experiences has given each of us just the skills we have right
now. Why do I feel like that makes me
better than him? Maybe he has not had
the same opportunities for learning to type as I have. Maybe that is not part of his mission or what
he is good at. I’m sure there are other
things he is really good at that I am not very good at. With that my pride was swept away and I was
able to focus on own work I had to do.
Sometime later, the sacred nature
of the human heart began to dawn on me. To
me it all made perfect sense in my mind and heart at the time- all flowing
together. The epiphany struck me when
this question entered my thoughts, “What kind of Father would He be (meaning
God) if He were to let ‘just anyone’ into a heart when they were not willing to
truly understand them?” I realized that
to truly understand others at heart, we have to be willing to pay the price to
strip ourselves of pride and seek through the Spirit of truth to understand
them. This was a gift I wanted and I
have been paying that price since that day two years ago.
The way I see that this is the same principle is by
what I call “the Law of More” described in Alma
It is the
same price that must be paid for more love, money or truth. If we desire to gain MORE light and truth
then it is earned on the principle of obedience. As we “do the best we can with what we have”
we qualify for more; if was waste, then less will be given to us. You see, God feels His gifts are very sacred
and precious, just as He feels about the sacred nature of the human heart. He wants us to treasure them so that no
misuse or damage comes to them. He feels
hurt and sad when we trample on that which He holds so precious. So, He gives us a little bit at a time to
test us to see what we are going to do with what we have been given. Do we use our gifts and resources to gratify
self or to serve others? Have we proven
ourselves worthy of more? What will we
do with it? How will it affect us and
others? Will it lead us to greater
pride or more humility? Will it help us
grow closer to Him?
So to answer the question in the book, “Why do I
think God can share the mysteries only with those whose hearts are
softened?” After we gain more, we are
accountable for more. We are growing in
stewardship responsibilities.
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