“Hard Questions, Real Answers,” New Era, Oct. 2020, 16–19.
Hard Questions, Real Answers
If we have the courage to ask, accept, and act, we have the promise that Heavenly Father will answer.
Illustration by Dean MacAdam
During my senior year in high school, a classmate named Brian began asking me questions about the Church and the Prophet Joseph Smith. I quickly realized, however, that Brian wasn’t sincere. He just wanted to make fun of my beliefs.
Brian would usually ask a snide question about the Church or the Prophet, watch my reaction, and then walk away. Some of his questions caught me off guard, but had he given me the chance, I could have answered most of them.
At the time, I didn’t appreciate Brian’s questions. But after graduating, I realized that he had done me a favor. College studies and mission service were just around the corner. Thanks to Brian, I was better prepared for the questions I would soon face and the questions I would soon ask.
I learned that the older I got, the more difficult the questions became. Fortunately, I had learned where to find answers—even for the hard questions.
Where Do We Find Answers?
When you have a hard question about the gospel, about life, about your future, or about anything else, where do you go for answers? Your peers? Siri? The internet? As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have better sources.
Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis of the Seventy has said that Heavenly Father will help us find answers, but we have to seek them in the way He has prescribed. “It requires more effort than to just search the Internet, but it is worth it,” he said.1
Nephi has some great counsel. He tells us that “the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).
We learn the words of Christ by reading the scriptures, praying, and listening to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We also come to understand Christ’s words through counsel from our parents, guidance from local Church leaders, and teachings of living prophets.
One person who asked hard questions in the Old Testament was the queen of Sheba. She doubted that Solomon was as wise as she had heard, but she went to see him anyway.
“When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions … ; and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
“And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not” (2 Chronicles 9:1–2; see also 1 Kings 10:1–3).
Likewise, we may wonder if a Church leader, a passage of scripture, or a prayer really can lead to an answer. And we may have difficulty even asking certain questions. But if we have the courage to ask, accept, and act, we have the promise that Heavenly Father will answer.
“Our Father in Heaven expects us to study it out first and then pray for guidance as we seek answers to questions and concerns in our personal lives,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then-Second Counselor in the First Presidency. “We have our Heavenly Father’s assurance that He will hear and answer our prayers. The answer may come through the voice and wisdom of trusted friends and family, the scriptures, and the words of prophets.”2
Can I Be Forgiven?
One of the hardest questions we may have is whether we can be forgiven, especially when we keep making the same dumb mistakes. This question also has an answer. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that answer is yes! But just as Christ’s Atonement is central to “the gospel of repentance” (Doctrine and Covenants 13:1), so confession is essential to the process of repentance—especially of serious sins. We must confess all of our sins to our Heavenly Father, and we must confess serious sins to the bishop.
Confession to your bishop is not fun. You might think it’s easier to confess to a friend, parent, or youth leader instead. But your bishop is the one the Lord has called to determine your worthiness and to help you repent. He knows that Church members, young and old, make mistakes. No matter how hard it is, go talk to him. He won’t be mad at you or make you feel bad. He’s your friend and will help.
Elder Jörg Klebingat of the Seventy has said that Satan “will seek access to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme.”3
The adversary will also try to convince you that repentance is too hard, that you might as well keep committing sin, and that it’s easier not to believe in the Church. Don’t be fooled. Remember, “God loved us, so he sent his Son.”4
Is the Church True?
Questions about the truthfulness of the Church take many forms: Was Joseph Smith really a prophet? Is the Book of Mormon true? Do I have to keep all the commandments? Does Heavenly Father really want me to wait until I’m 16 to date?
If the answer to the first three questions is yes (which it is), then waiting to date until you’re 16 is God’s will communicated to you by prophets. You don’t need a testimony of every aspect of the gospel to know that—or the truthfulness of other prophetic guidelines. And having a testimony won’t necessarily erase all your questions. So, don’t be ashamed of your questions, and don’t be afraid to voice them, but be faithful as you look for answers.
“Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.5
“It Shall Be Given You”
At the end of my senior year, I finally mustered the courage to turn the tables and ask Brian a question.
“If Joseph Smith was a false prophet, if he didn’t see the things he claimed he saw, and if he didn’t believe the things he taught,” I asked, “why did he seal his testimony of those things with his blood?”
Brian had no answer. He looked surprised and responded simply, “I didn’t know that.” He never asked me another insincere question about the Church, though I would have answered any sincere ones he may have had. When he signed my yearbook just before we graduated, he apologized.
Sooner or later, we all face hard questions. That’s part of learning, growing, and proving ourselves. But we’ll find answers if we look to the Savior, who has told us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7; see also Luke 11:9).