Let’s dive into the unorthodox, the gray areas, and the questions that often linger in our hearts and minds. We’ve all been there right? Sitting in a church meeting, hearing a powerful talk, and then feeling that tug of doubt or that nagging question that doesn’t quite align with everything we’ve been taught.

First things first, let’s acknowledge the beauty and complexity of our faith. It’s not always black and white, and that’s okay. It’s okay to have questions, doubts, and uncertainties. In fact, it’s a crucial part of our growth and understanding. Seeking answers and grappling with questions is a natural part of our journey. It’s how we engage with our faith and deepen our understanding of the gospel.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – what if our answers don’t align with church policy or traditional doctrine? It’s a valid concern, and one that many of us have grappled with. Sister Dew shared a powerful insight from Elder Ballard, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the restoration. It’s a reminder that our faith is not static, but dynamic and evolving. As we navigate these moments of tension between personal conviction and institutional doctrine, it’s essential to hold onto hope and trust in the process of ongoing revelation and understanding.

As Sister Kimball shares, the approach of placing unresolved questions in a metaphorical box on the shelf is both practical and profound. It speaks to the idea of patience and the recognition that our perspectives and understanding evolve over time. This resonates deeply, highlighting the importance of revisiting our questions and allowing space for personal growth and maturity to shape our perspectives.

As we journey through life, our perspectives shift, our understanding deepens, and our hearts expand. Embracing this evolution is a testament to our willingness to engage with our faith authentically and openly. It’s a reminder to approach our doubts and questions with humility, recognizing that rigidity doesn’t foster growth, but openness and obedience do.

Let’s continue to grapple with the unorthodox, navigate the gray areas, and embrace the beautiful messiness of faith. Our questions and doubts are not a sign of weakness, but a testament to our deep desire to understand and engage with our faith in a meaningful way. Let’s keep the conversation going, keep seeking, keep questioning, and keep growing. After all, it’s the journey that shapes us and leads us to a deeper connection with our faith.

I’ve got a question for you guys. I’d love to know.

Did you all hear the talk I gave today?

Okay, so we all heard it.

I want to know if I said anything you don’t agree with. That you think, “I’m not buying that.”

So I’ll preface this by saying it’s a little unorthodox.

But so you talked a lot about questions and doubts, and you differentiated between the two, especially with your comment about your experience with that girl who says she’s a seeker, not a doubter, which I really resonate with. I really appreciate that. But in my experience, at least, and we’ve talked about this a lot already, but we have questions, we go to the Lord, we seek answers. But what if our answers don’t necessarily align with church policy? I mean, we already know that it’s possible that certain things aren’t necessarily doctrine as their doctrine, right? So how, like what do in those situations?

Okay, so I think the perfect answer to that, at least in my heart, is something that Elder Ballard said in the last general conference. And I’m starting to remember what the name of his talk was, but that would, of course, be October of ’16. And he basically said, I’m old enough that I’ve seen a lot of things, a lot of questions I’ve had in my life and a lot of questions in the church. I’m old enough that I’ve seen a lot of them get resolved. I’m not as old as Elder Ballard, meaning no disrespect to Elder Ballard, but I’m old enough that one of the things that I have seen is sometimes when I’ve felt strongly about something, but it hasn’t been implemented in the church. There are some things about women that I don’t think are right yet. I was going to say in terms of just structural, there are just some structural things. But the restoration is ongoing. And I’m not talking, by the way, about women being ordained. Please don’t think, “Oh, maybe Sheri thinks that.” I do not think that. But there are some things about women in the structural organization I think, but does that mean the church isn’t true?

And you know what? I’ll bet you I’m right, too. I’ll be very surprised if I’m not right. If I’m not right, that’ll be fine. But I’ll be surprised if I’m not right about some of these things. But I expect to see some of them have already unfolded. And I’ll bet more do as well. So there’s a part of me that loves to just subscribe to Elder Ballard’s point. I’m old enough to have seen that over time, things work themselves out.

And Sister Kimball, Camilla Kimball, had a statement she made many years ago that I think has some real merit. And that is, she said, When I’ve got really serious questions and they’re just not resolved yet and I don’t know where to go with them yet, I put them in a box and set them on my shelf. And I pull that box down occasionally and I re-evaluate those questions and ask myself, Can I answer any of them differently than I could two years ago? And she said, From time to time, this is really a paraphrase, I find, Yep, I can answer that one now or that one’s been resolved or whatever. And I think there’s some truth to that.

Part of it is also you’ll just think differently about things as you mature. Not that you’re not mature now, but in five years and then in ten and then 15, you’ll see the world a little bit differently. You just will. Because we grow and we learn and we adjust. I was way more rigid about certain things 20 years ago than I am today. Because I just think, yeah, rigidity doesn’t really get you anywhere. Obedience, yes, rigidity, I’m not a fan of.