on knowing and not knowing

As a Mormon, I've witnessed plenty of publicized drama surrounding my church during the past several months. I have my own opinions about the movements and the activism that I'll sum up quickly: I don't agree with the activism, though I do wholeheartedly agree that it's okay to have questions and doubts. However--the ways in which we ask are just as important as the questions themselves. And that's probably where I part most from these more public seekers.

News about church disciplinary actions have been making their swift way through my social media feeds, and I have many feelings about it all. Mostly, I'm sad. I'm sad when one's seeking leads them down a hard road, when the men and women who surround them abandon them and draw lines in the sand. I'm sad when one's seeking leads others away from a gospel whose message is Come and join with us. I'm sad when the fallibility of members is confused with the doctrine of Christ. I'm sad when I see such division in a faith that has the potential to enjoy so much unity.

I don't have all the answers. I don't know all the details behind the scenes of these individuals' actions and choices. I don't know the full picture. And I don't need to. I know that we are fallen creatures, that none of us is perfect, and optimistically, that most of us are really trying our best.

So I try my best. I move forward with what I know--that Jesus Christ is our Savior, literally risen from the dead to redeem us; that God's prophet will never lead me away from God; that I can receive answers to my questions if I honestly and humbly seek; that I can feel peace in my heart even when I don't have all the answers.

I won't gossip about these news stories. I won't pass judgment, because that's not my job. I'll pray--for myself, for my family, and for those in the midst of spiritual struggle and turmoil. I'll teach my family how to receive their own witnesses and how to nurture their own testimonies. I'll seek my own personal witness of this beautiful truth and trust that "what [I] know will always be more than what [I] don't know."

Let's stop making this about them and us and focus on Jesus Christ, through whom everything will someday be made right. Let's address our own individual shortcomings before we assume the responsibility to pass judgment on another. Let's be faithful together, even amid our differences--let's find unity in our Savior. That's what this whole life is about.