Elder Giuffra talks about his search for God’s church in “A Faithful Search Rewarded.” All of us at one time or another are looking to seek and find answers to questions.

What does it take to “Seek and Find”?

In order to seek and find answers to our questions, we need to follow a process. The steps to this process are:

1. Have a well formulated question to answer
2. Desire to do the work required to seek out the answer
3. Find people who can assist in finding the answer
4. Ability to accept the answer once found
5. Taking the next steps after finding the answer

A Well Formulated Question

A well-formulated question leads to a specific answer. The question should spark areas to research and areas to not research. For instance, “what should I be when I grow up?” will automatically pull the questioner towards areas of current interest and away from areas not liked.

The question should also be something that can be answerable. “How was the earth actually created and when?” is a question that can’t be readily answered as there are many theories, but no complete understanding. Whereas, “How does the earth revolve around the sun?” can be answered and understood.

Desire to do the work to find the answer

Once a question has been formed, the desire to find the answer becomes critical to success. I have many questions that I don’t know the answer to, however, I don’t have desire to put in the work to find the answers. So those questions are left behind for ones I am willing to research.

Having the desire is crucial, but not quitting when an obstacle appears is just as crucial. Thomas Edison is reported to have tried 10,000 times to perfect the lightbulb. When asked, the story goes that Edison said “I have not failed, I have found 9,999 ways that do not work.” Edison faced his obstacles and did not quit on them, rather he found ways to go over, through, around, or under them in order to succeed.

Find people who can assist in finding the answer

Many times, there are people we know or who we can turn to for help to find the answer to our question. Spiritually, we have the Holy Ghost whose job is to witness the truth and speak answers to our mind and heart from God. In life we have friends, teachers, associates, mentors, etcetera that are available to help us.

Why is it important to have help? Without help it can take us longer to find the answers we are seeking, if we can find them at all. Having the ability to utilize the knowledge and experience of others to help us find our answers not only speeds up the process, but also gives us confidence that we have found the right answer.

Accepting the answer

One of the hardest things we can do is accept an answer to a question that we don’t like. There are times when we find the answer to a question and we don’t agree with it. This makes us doubt our research and our help. It causes us to go into what is called analysis-paralysis. This means that we keep seeking and look for an answer that agrees with our feelings. This is detrimental.

Having the ability to be impartial and accept the answer we have researched allows us to feel accomplished in our work. It also allows us to understand that things are not as we always think they are. It broadens our horizons.

Of course there are times when the answer to a question is in alignment with what we think. This is then a validation of what we have understood and gives us confidence in our learning and abilities.

Taking the next steps after finding the answer

Often when we find the answer to a question there are things we need to do with that knowledge. For instance, when searching if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s church and receiving the answer that it is, I had to take the next step and fortify my faith and live the gospel according to the commandments given by God. These steps have helped me live a happier life and strengthened me in many ways.

Sometimes it can be difficult to follow-up after receiving an answer. Especially if we don’t like what the answer is. How many people could not come to grips with the fact that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around? How many people could not understand that the earth is a sphere and not a flat disk? How many of us cannot accept truth because it comes from a different ideology than our own? It takes courage to follow-up in these situations. However, when we find the answer to our question we must not throw it away. To do so would be wasteful of the effort we expended and a rejection of truth.

Conclusion

Elder Giuffra’s talk about seeking and finding God’s church provides us with a pattern for seeking and finding answers to any of our questions. We must have a well-formulated question, a desire to seek the answer, utilize others as helpers, accept the answer once found, and take any follow-up steps required after gaining the answer. This process works for both spiritual and temporal (earthly) questions.

What do you think? What process do you use to find answers to your questions?