We have all had one of those experiences when looking at an
optical illusion, and we don’t see what others recognize. They may try and help
us—stand to the side, stare at it, focus on nothing—but we can’t seem to see
what others clearly recognize.
There are literally hundreds of examples on the Web, perhaps
thousands.
“Look at an optical illusion and you may think you're seeing
things -- such as a curved line that's actually straight, or a moving object that's
standing still. You wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you,” is how one
author describes the effect.
Conversations at these times can be very interesting. While
two people are looking at the mirage, the dialogue might go something like
this:
“So you can see it
right? It is right there,” she says pointing to the image.
“I see dots. What are you talking about?” he responds.
“OK. Stand back and try again,” she says encouragingly. “Her
chin is right here, and these are her eyebrows.”
“I don’t know what you are talk…OHHHH…I see it now.”
If you can’t see the image others are talking about, don’t
feel bad. It happens to all of us. None of us see everything clearly all the
time. Most everyone is familiar with the image of the old woman or wait… maybe
it is a young woman. At one minute you see the one, then perhaps in a flash you
see the other, and the first image is nowhere to be found. Some people see the
anticipated reflection in the image and others do not. There are volumes
written about why this occurs in an attempt to explain the cause-and-effect
relationship.
But that is not the
point of this article to explain why we see things differently. Yet the fact
that we do perceive stimuli in a different way has made images like this one
very popular. Almost everybody has seen this depiction and tried his hand at
deciphering it. The point I am making is just that we do see things differently
and what is obvious to one person is not necessarily apparent to someone else,
and that’s OK.
Something that is very clear to one person, another can’t seem
to picture or understand. So if that is true for optical illusions, is it
possible that this principle applies to other situations as well? As you
consider this possibility, I have a true story to share with you.
We have heard recently of more school shootings, tragedy,
pain, and hardship. Difficulties in life just seem to get more challenging, and
we look for answers to explain these baffling situations. But with each new
obstacle that we face, the overarching answers don’t change. In the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the answers never change, because they are right and true from
the beginning, and they always will be. When we understand the plan that God
has prepared for us, the obstacles in life are still difficult, but they have
meaning and purpose.
So does that mean we just breeze through life without
challenges and are happy all the time? I would like to think that my faith
would allow me to do that, but the truth is that life is still difficult and sometimes
painful. So what do we do in those cases?
Well, for me, I often rely on others’ testimonies, others’
good attitudes, and even others’ faith, when I don’t muster the
confidence I need on my own. Is that wrong? Is that an excuse? No. It is none of those
things. What it is, actually, is a strategy. Let me explain…
When I listen to beautiful music or hear an accomplished
singer, my tendency is not to wish that was me performing or attempt to imitate
the presentation. Gratefully I can just listen to the chords and revel in their
beauty because the Lord has given us the opportunity to rapture in the talents
of others. I imagine that is at times true for all of us. But in a very real
way, that principle also applies to the faith and courage of others. When I need
to rely on others’ convictions and testimonies, the antidote to anxiety and the
fix to fear is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and understanding the Great Plan
of Happiness.
So when you are having a difficult day or month or year,
remember the resources of faith you have been given and take advantage of
leaning on the faith of others while you get your footing. I did that regularly
with my father. I still do. And at one time or another, I have admired many of
you and received strength from following your examples. And I
regularly lean on the words of the Brethren and the thousands of resources now
available online and otherwise from the Church leadership.
“Every teacher in this audience remembers the legendary
story of Brother Karl G. Maeser taking
a group of missionaries across the Alps by following a homely set of sticks
positioned at crucial points on the path, marking the safe way of passage. The
sticks weren’t much to look at—all of them irregularly shaped, some weathered
and worn, none of them anything to write home about—but their placement, the
course they marked, and the silent message their very presence communicated was
the difference between life and death. Brother Maeser’s lesson that day was
that these sticks were like the presiding Brethren of the Church—some tall,
some short, a pretty homely bunch in a beauty contest—but following their path
was to follow the path of safety. My point with you tonight is that this is
what true doctrine (which is what the Brethren teach) does for us all day,
every day. Someone has to plant those doctrinal guide posts. Someone has to
say, “Here is the truth, and here is safety.” Someone has to guide the way of
those who are traveling narrow, often dangerous paths, perhaps for the first
time, as many of our high school- and college-age students will be doing. In
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are very prominent among
the ‘someones’ God has asked to mark the path of salvation.”
These words are those of Jeffrey R Holland in a masterly
discourse entitled “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe.” It is upon the rock of our
Redeemer that we must build. Helaman 5:12
(start at 8 min and 16 seconds if you prefer)
So if you are struggling with something that is not yet
clear to you, rely on the testimonies of others until you have a full
understanding of your own. So if that is true for optical illusions, is it possible that
this principle applies to other situations in life as well? Absolutely.
“Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may
pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly
Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our
hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in
this world that can defeat us…fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as
bright as your faith.”
And that is how I face every day, especially when the way is not clear.
