Marci Robison-Learning

“More holiness give me, more strivings within, more patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin, more faith in my Savior, more sense of his care, more joy in his service, more purpose in prayer.” Each of these things are principles that one should seek to learn and to apply to his or her life. Alma 38:9, “And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.” All of us must learn this principle at some point; whether it is in this life, or the next. Through Christ's atonement for us, all of us can learn to repent and to forgive ourselves and others, in order to return to live with God again.

“Parents and children teach and learn goodness together…” President Gordon B Hinckley said that statement in his book, Stand a Little Taller. There are a great many things that we can learn in this life. In fact, there are a great many things that we have been sent here to learn in this life. The very reason that we are here is to learn. In the book of Mathew, Christ commanded, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Christ wants us to learn of Him and of his gospel so that we may come to fully understand our purposes here on this earth and return to live again with Him and our Heavenly Father.

There are several ways that people learn. Some people learn by touching, some by listening, some through experiencing, and others by seeing. There is not a right or wrong way to learn, it is only important that we learn and seek after good things. There are many good things in this world, but there are also many bad things. I believe that it is our responsibility to learn to distinguish between the two and to seek after the former. One does not need to be receiving a formal education in order to learn. After I graduated from high school, I involuntarily took a year off from formal education in order to assist my family with the burden of the death of my brother-in-law. Although I was not attending school, I was learning many things that the Lord required of me.

President Boyd K. Packer has said, “They will not be judged on how many degrees they hold or how extensive their schooling may be, but on how well educated they are in those things which are of eternal value.” He was referring to his posterity not all being able to attend Brigham Young University, but I think that we can all apply this statement to our lives. Not one of us will be judged by what degree we earned in school, or how much money we made, or by how much power we had here on this earth. We will be judged on how much we learned about the gospel and how much we understand gospel principles and things of eternal value.

Genesis 30:27 says “…for I have learned from experience…” All of us have experienced things in life that are not pleasant; however, if we all learned from such experiences, we would all be a little closer to achieving perfection in this lifetime. In Hebrews 5:8 it says, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” From what I understand in that verse, it says that Christ learned obedience from the things that He suffered. We are commanded to be Christ-like and to be perfect. Learning to be obedient from the things that we suffer will help us on our way to be more like Christ because obedience is the first law of Heaven.

It didn’t used to be so popular for girls to go to school to learn. The girls were supposed to stay at home to take care of the home. Yes, there was still a learning process that was incorporated with learning to care for a home, but now in the 21st century, it is vital that women seek after learning and education. A woman living in the United States, in the 21st century has many opportunities to receive an education. Of course, in the LDS religion it is encouraged that the mothers need to be at home to nurture their children. Unfortunately, not everyone’s circumstances are ideal. In the event of a tragedy in the family, women without a sufficient education cannot support a family. I believe that it is possible for women to obtain education and be loving, nurturing mothers for their children. Proverbs 1:5, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.” Increasing our knowledge and our learning will open many doors for those who may not otherwise have a chance to rise in this world.


Sources:

Stand A Little Taller; Gordon B. Hinckley
Boyd K. Packer, “‘To Be Learned Is Good If …’,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 71
More Holiness Give Me; LDS Hymn book current edition, #131

Scriptures:

Matt. 11:29
Hebrews 5:8
Genesis 30:27
Proverbs 1:5
Alma 38:9