What I KNOW

The idea of "knowing" has been on my mind a lot as of late. People think I cannot "know" that God exists, only believe. That might be true for some. But then I ask "How do you know what you know?"  Some examples of their answers might be:

• I can see it
• I studied it in school
• It's scientifically proven
• I can hear it
• I can feel it
• I can touch it
• I can figure it out logically
• I read about it

 ...And the list can go on and on telling me how to really know something. There are many ways we think we know things. But the problem is, all of the above mentioned methods are not fail-proof. All can deceive., intentionally or unintentionally. Eyes play tricks, people who write text books or other materials make mistakes or have other agendas or ulterior motives, science is constantly changing because of new knowledge and opinions on that knowledge, our minds forget or embellish, and our emotions have never been a very stable way of knowing anything. Physically, mentally, and emotionally we can be tricked. If we just depend on our senses, emotions, what you read about, or what the "all knowing" majority says about things, then we can very easily fall into believing anything and everything.

So how do we find truth? How do we know if something we learned in our science textbook is correct, or if all these charts and data actually do contain truth or the skewed results of political or personal agendas? How can we know what is real?

I know there is a God. Not because of any of those typical ways we think of knowing I mentioned above. But because of the only source of pure, undeciving truth. The Spirit.

If you have never experienced what is like to be taught truth by the Spirit then I really cannot describe it to you in words. It transcends the senses. It's like trying to tell someone who has never tasted salt what salt tastes like (to use the common Mormon explanation). It is an experience like none other. It happens to me--or I guess I could say I feel it, though it is so much more than that--in the presence of truth. It doesn't need anything outside  of itself to each me truth, though sometimes it will use things I read, hear or learn. It is something that teaches me knowledge my basic senses cannot. It teaches me truth to my soul.

I have had several special, sacred experiences with the spirit. I won't write them here but if you would ever want to talk about them (because you want to understand, not because of curiosity :) ) I would love to share them. Through my experiences with the spirit throughout my life I have come to truly know that there is a God, who loves me, knows me by my name, and is my Heavenly Father.

And this is what I know, and cannot doubt.