Dispute Not Because Ye See Not

Moroni teaches us about faith. I say he teaches us because he was pretty much on his own, knowing that he was the last one, and knowing that these words would come forth in future generations.

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)

Faith is an interesting thing. On one hand, without it you wouldn't have much hope for this world, and where it's going. Faith is things that are hoped for and not seen. In other words, you strengthen and develop your hope at the same time you strengthen and develop your faith.

As humans, we have a tendency to believe things we can see. That's why optical illusions are so interesting, because our brains get tricked by what we see. The same thing can be true of ourselves in our ever-changing, crazy world. We get fooled because we see things like others who do not keep the commandments, but it still seems like they are receiving the blessings of keeping those same commandments. It can be frustrating sometimes.

When Moroni says "dispute not because ye see not", he could be talking about a lot of things. He is talking about being able to believe things that you don't really have physical evidence for. He is saying that just because you don't see something, doesn't mean you need to sit and argue about whether or not it exists.

I think Moroni makes another really good point about when you receive a witness, or testimony. Growing up, my mom taught me the concept of putting the cart before the horse. The image that conjures up is one that seems so inefficient, and so almost silly, to imagine a horse trying to push a cart somewhere. The better system is to put the horse in front, and hook the cart to it, and let the horse pull that cart forward. in other words, put the work first. Then you get the reward after. It's sometimes hard to imagine the process of gaining a testimony as "work", but it really is something you have to do. You have to have a trial of your faith to gain the witness. This doesn't mean you have to take a huge leap every time. Sometimes, it's as simple as actually saying a prayer, even if you're not sure there is a God that will listen. Sometimes it's agreeing to an assignment, even if you're not in love with it. Other times, it's a bigger thing. Looking at finances, trying to decide between paying tithing or saving some money for groceries. It takes a leap of faith to do something like that. Often times, when we do these kinds of things, big or small, if we try, we can look back and attribute our testimony, even if it's in some small part, to that moment.