Vitals: Weight 232.5

Book of Mormon Reading: 2 Nephi 17

9. "...If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established."

Journal Entry

I was mostly pain free for most of the day and we had an enjoyable time with Jake and his family. We got the back patio looking pretty good and the kids really enjoyed hanging out back there.

My hip and leg started hurting again toward the evening. I took some more Advil and Tylenol but couldn't sleep much because of the pain.

I'm going to see Dr Gordon this morning and hopefully he will have suggestions for healing. My hip and leg has been sore for days now and I hope we can find out why.

Come Follow Me

The prophet Abinadi explained the role of the feelings that come from God to our hearts. He taught that we cannot understand the scriptures completely unless we apply our heart to understanding.

This truth was well stated in a children’s book, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In the story, the little prince became friends with a fox. Upon parting, the fox shared a secret with the little prince. He said, “Here is my secret … : It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Elder Walter F. González Of the Presidency of the Seventy, October 2012

Mosiah 12:27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?

"...perhaps the scriptures are suggesting to us that reason and “the arm of flesh” (D&C 1:19) are not sufficient to produce true understanding. Thus, understanding, as the word is used in the scriptures, does not refer solely or even primarily to intellectual or cognitive comprehension. Rather, understanding occurs when what we know in our minds is confirmed as true in our hearts by the witness of the Holy Ghost.

The spiritual gift of revelation most typically operates as thoughts and feelings put into our minds and hearts by the Holy Ghost (see D&C 8:2–3, 100:5–8). And as testimony and conviction move from our heads to our hearts, we no longer just have information or knowledge—but we begin to understand and seek after the mighty change of heart. Understanding, then, is the result of revelation; it is a spiritual gift, it is a prerequisite to conversion, and it entices us to more consistently live in accordance with the principles we are learning.

This revealed insight about the relationship between the heart and understanding has greatly influenced my approach to gospel learning and study, has affected positively the way Sister Bednar and I teach our children and grandchildren, and has impacted my priesthood service."