Applicable Truths

Doctrine and Covenants 88:78-80
"Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms- That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you."

I recently did a group project for which we presented a modern dance class. Our topic of choice was Fall and Recovery, a philosophy of Doris Humphrey. Part of our assignment was to relate this topic to various other aspects of life. We chose the gospel of Jesus Christ, mental health, and physics.

I researched physics, which I have never formally studied. I am amazed at the correlations I discovered. As I studied gravitational potential energy, I found symbols of the constant pull of adversity in this life. Until we learn to change the velocity of our descent, we often receive pains and bruises, putting our bodies at risk for injury each time we 'crash' into the floor. This is much like sin and negativity.

A change in velocity implies a change in the rate of motion and in direction. In the Bible Dictionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, repentance is described as "a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world."

On this earth, I will never be able to separate myself from the constancy of gravity, however, I can definitely learn to avoid the painful impact that comes from lack of control. Without knowing how to soften to the floor or how to slow the rate of descent, I would only continue to hurt and destroy my body. The same is true about the gospel of Jesus Christ, without knowing Him, truly understanding His power to change me, I would only continue in sin, destroying my soul. The adversary will never stop pushing for me to fall, but through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can change and learn to avoid the detrimental effects of sin.

I believe that we are to learn as much as possible about the world around us because it can teach us truth about God and our divine purposes here on earth.