Thank you, President and Sister Gilbert and BYU-Idaho, for the opportunity to share some thoughts today. As always, the music has invited the Holy Ghost to teach and edify us.
Outcomes & Objectives
The objective today is to help you recognize and embrace incompetence as part of your progression in being perfected in Jesus Christ.
On an average Rexburg summer day, my family went out for a drive exploring the back roads of Madison County. There was, of course, the wind and sun, and it was dry and dusty. We drove up and down the dirt roads of the potato farms. It can be fun with three children under five in car seats. The ride was an inexpensive roller coaster, a thrill ride that suddenly came to a stop with a thump-thump-thump. I pulled the new-to-us minivan over to the side of the dirt road and discovered that we had a flat tire.
We got the three children out of the van. We moved the children well off to the side of the road, where my wife could safely watch them. I began the process of changing the tire. I found the jack under the front hood, but I could not find the spare tire. It never occurred to me that I didn't know how to find the tire on our new van until I found myself needing the information. It was frustrating not to know. I looked for removable panels anywhere I could think of but still could not find the spare tire. Confused, I resorted to the user manual. It took a few minutes to discover that the spare was located underneath the van, a location that I had not considered.
With a few more minutes invested in studying the drivers manual, I found that the spare tire could be lowered using a bolt mechanism in the back of the van. By using the handle of the jack, I turned the bolt, and the tire descended from the secret location.
I began turning the bolt and let the cable out until the tire reached the ground. As soon as the tire touched the ground, I reached underneath the van and tried to get it. It only came partway out. It was then that I realize that I hadn't let out enough cable to remove the tire. I returned to the bolt mechanism and let out enough cable to get the tire all the way out from under the van.
From this point, changing the tire veered into familiar territory: loosening lug nuts, jacking up the vehicle, removing the flat tire, replacing the tire with the spare, lug nuts, lowering the jack, and tightening the lug nuts.
Once the tire was on, we were ready to go. I put the flat tire and the tools in the back of the van, buckled all three children back into their car seats, situated myself behind the wheel, and started off once again exploring the back-road roller coaster of Madison County.
Not far down the road, there was a metallic clinking sound. I looked in my mirrors and discovered that I was dragging the spare-tire cable. The hardware that held the spare tire in place was bouncing down the road like an action figure in Napoleon Dynamite. Once again, I pulled over, found the jack handle, and reeled in the cable. Now we were off to finish our ride.
Finding out what we need to know
If you had asked me before the drive if I knew how to change the tire, I would have confidently answered, "Yes." Luckily there was a manual to help me solve the challenge, but the lack of information was a weakness that I didn't know I had.
For us the Lord has provided the scriptures as a life manual. There is a scripture that relates to learning about our weakness that I have heard over my lifetime and I am sure many of you know: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness."[1]
Let's stop there for now. This is a scripture that I honestly have struggled to like. Here is my imperfect translation: "What next? I am already overwhelmed and know all too clearly where I am falling short."
Elder J. Devn Cornish of the Seventy said in the most recent general conference, "Sometimes when we attend church, we become discouraged even by sincere invitations to improve ourselves. We think silently, 'I can't do all these things' or 'I will never be as good as all these people.'"
I have experienced these kinds of feelings throughout my life. I try to be a good person and live a life following the commandments of God. How could I live a worthy life without feeling so incompetent?
The beginnings of my answer came to me just a few years ago through a magazine article that my wife read in the waiting room of a doctor's office. It was a short paragraph about the four stages of learning. That afternoon, as we drove home, she shared the idea, and it changed the way I viewed my weakness and incompetence.[2]
Once again, I became aware of something I did not know I needed to know.
Four stages of competence:
Unconscious incompetence
Conscious incompetence
Conscious competence
Unconscious competence
Let's briefly define each of these.
Unconscious incompetence: The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. An example of this is a small child sitting behind the steering wheel of a parked car pretending to drive.
Conscious incompetence: Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit. This is like the first day of driver's education. Everything is new, and it takes all your brainpower to operate the vehicle.
Conscious competence: The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. This is like the last day of driver's education. You have improved in your driving but find yourself rehearsing driving rules to yourself as you drive.
Unconscious competence: The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature." To complete the driving example, after several months of driving, everything seems natural, and there is no conscious effort needed. The focus is on where you need to go, not how to operate the vehicle.
Unconscious Incompetence
Unconscious incompetence is a state of innocence. Young children are an example of this kind of behavior. They live and play for the fun of it: dancing, singing, sports, and drawing, to name a few.
This stage in the learning process is pretty challenging because you don't know what you need to know. All of us today are in the state of unconscious incompetence. There are things in each of our lives that need to be improved, but before the improvement can begin, we need to be conscious of our personal incompetence.
Conscious Incompetence
Here are a few examples of the transition to conscious incompetence:
- Most children sing with gusto during the Primary program except for the 11-year-old boys.
- I remember becoming acutely conscious of my basketball incompetence during a dribbling exercise in eighth grade P.E.
- In the MTC there was a lot of emphasis on feeling the Spirit. I can remember as a young missionary wondering if I could feel the Spirit. I wondered, "Am I doing this right?" The following is played out in the lives of many students that I see in the classroom. I teach art and have art majors in my classes. There is a reason that everyone chose their major.
For an art major, it may have something to do with successes that they have already experienced:
- They did well in a high school art class.
- They won a ribbon at the county or state fair.
- Others have praised them for their work.
Then they register for school at BYU-Idaho and choose art as their major. Eventually they have their first critique, and it can be a bummer. The student may wonder, "What happened?" "I thought I was pretty good." "My mom likes my work."
Times like these are moments of decision, to quit or continue. The student may doubt the authentic nature of their previous experience. In truth, their experience is authentic; there is just more to learn. They begin learning things that they did not know that they needed to know.
These moments of decision are like getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden. It is conscious incompetence. It is the moment that they become aware that there are right and wrong ways to do something.
"And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth"[3]
"To till the earth" is a way of saying that we will have to work for what we get.
Wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.[4]
Being unaware is not the path to joy. The path to joy goes directly through conscious incompetence. Becoming better is a process.
In the example of the art major, their previous experience is wonderful, valid, and good. It just so happens that there is more to learn. There is more to become.
There is more to joy than moving to the state of conscious competence. Conscious competence is knowing how to do something and doing it well, but we know that we have help in achieving our righteous desires. Returning to Ether 12:27, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Let me read part of that again: "My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
After being cast out of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were not left without a way to develop, become, and overcome. A Savior was provided. We have the same blessing. The greatest gift we have comes, as Ether says, "in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."[5] We have been given a Savior who atoned perfectly for our sins. He has already made it possible for us to overcome physical and spiritual death and return to our heavenly home. We believe in learning by study and by faith. The steps of learning infer that you can do it all by yourself, but we know that we need the Savior for eternal salvation.
As with anything in life, eternal salvation is not something we earn in one big action. It is something we become by small steps over time, one step at a time through the grace of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Nephi we read, "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."[6]
Once again, eternal salvation is not something we earn; it is something we become one step at a time through the grace of Jesus Christ.
When we find ourselves in a state of conscious incompetence, in order to grow we must exercise our agency. We make a choice to continue learning line upon line, or we may say, "We have enough." "From them shall be taken away even that which they have."
Exercising faith in Jesus Christ is an act of humility, trust, and hope. All of our efforts to become better in this life extend into the next life through exercising faith in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Elder David A. Bednar said, "True faith is focused in and on the Lord and always leads to righteous action. 'Faith [in Christ is] the first principle in revealed religion, ... the foundation of all righteousness, ... and the principle of action in all intelligent beings.'"
One of my favorite teachings from the Book of Mormon is found in Alma 32:28:
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves--It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."
This scripture describes exercising faith in a state of conscious incompetence. "Planting the seed" is a part of any endeavor that we wish to pursue. To be a good piano player, it takes practice and patience. Choosing a major in school is an act of planting a seed of faith. It is a hope to one day be a scientist, entrepreneur, painter, musician, mathematician, dancer, designer, or any number of other options.
School is an organized series of experiences that have proven effective in helping students gain skills, understanding, and ways of thinking to become a contributing member of a profession.
The experiences are necessary in order to become. While the process can be designed and followed, the final results cannot be gifted. For example, I cannot give my art students the ability to be a designer. It is through their individual efforts and struggles that they become a designer. In the beginning, there are challenges, disappointments, and successes.
Referring back to Alma 32, we are taught, "But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow."[7]
Here are some of the ways we can nourish and grow the seed of faith.
- Reading the scriptures
- Praying daily
- Serving family and others
- Attending the temple
- Sunday meetings
This list is not new. In fact, it is a list of Sunday School answers. Instead of disregarding these basic answers, ponder for a moment what they mean. Have you ever wondered what all of these answers have in common? Why are they important actions in becoming a better son or daughter of God? There is a clue in Mosiah 18:10:
"Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"
All of the Sunday School answers place us in physical or spiritual places where the Holy Ghost can influence our lives. All baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been exhorted to actively seek and use the Spirit in their lives.
The exhortation comes at the time of confirmation, when hands are placed upon your head and a priesthood holder says these words: "I say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost."
Conscious competence
After gaining some understanding and practice, you transition to the state of conscious competence, which is when the individual understands or knows how to do something; however, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration.
"But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life."[8]
Actively participating in an experience is one way to learn. As members of the Church, we have experiences provided for us to grow and develop. These experiences are opportunities to develop. Sometimes we might feel that if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all.
I had an experience as a high counselor where I was asked to help set apart new leaders in a high priest group. It was one of those moments where it was too late to consult a book for the proper words and process. I had been present at many setting aparts but had never done it myself. I was nervous as I listened carefully to the stake president set apart the group leader. Now it was my turn to set apart one of the counselors. Very nervous, with halting and a few stumbles, I made it through the blessing.
What I didn't expect to discover was a lesson in priesthood leadership, but I did. I learned it through the actions of the good stake president. Throughout the blessing, the stake president stood next to me as I did my best. I was worried that the stake president would be unhappy with my current skill level. However, he remained calm, didn't jump in and correct, and didn't seem nervous. He didn't expect me to be perfect. His calmness and action let me know that my best was good enough.
His inferred confidence provided an opportunity to grow.
When the Savior was on the earth, He taught that He must go away in order for the Comforter to come. This was a very difficult time for the Apostles and fledgling members of Christ's Church. In order for them to grow, they each needed to have the opportunity to make decisions and act.
In John 16:7, the Savior said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."
We need experiences to grow. Sometimes the learning comes when you are the only one to count on to get something done. This was the case when I was required to change the flat tire. If someone with the required skill had changed the tire, I would still be lacking the necessary experience.
We can learn from Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail: "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."[9]
I am a cancer survivor and have faced the pain and suffering that comes with the experience. Liver transplant was part of the treatment. This is a photo of me the day before and the day after the liver transplant.
I will forever be grateful to an unknown organ donor and their family for their selfless act in a time of personal sorrow. They gave me new life. The experience of cancer and transplant is one of the most challenging I have faced. Over a period of years, I was almost always in pain. I heard the teaching that the Savior can take away our pain. I truly wondered, "What about my pain?" While there was hope in the plan of salvation, my pain was not removed. One place that I did find comfort was talking to others who had had similar experiences. It was during one of these conversations that I finally discovered something that I did not know I needed to know. The Savior didn't take away my pain, but He completely understood my pain. This opened the door to let me see that all those who struggle with any suffering or sin have someone that they can turn to who perfectly knows their experience.
Alma teaches us, "And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."[10]
The Savior has experienced your deepest pain and understands exactly what you need. If you have suffered, He has felt it. You will still suffer; He has felt that as well. He knows the pain, suffering, and sin of all. His atoning sacrifice is infinite and complete. He has paid the price in full.
One phrase that we can't use with the Savior is "You just wouldn't understand," because no matter what it is, He does understand.
While we can't understand as the Savior does, we can understand others more clearly based on our personal experience. We become more like the Savior as we seek to obey His commandments.
Obeying the commandments in a state of conscious competence can at times seem like we are obeying them for the wrong reason, because the "how" we do something seems to get in the way of the "why" we do something. Don't be discouraged if you feel that you are just obeying the rules.
Elder Bednar taught, "Repetition is a vehicle through which the Holy Ghost can enlighten our minds, influence our hearts, and enlarge our understanding."
Unconscious Competence
The final stage of learning is unconscious competence, which is when the individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature." This state is the goal because actions that we have worked on become automatic.
"And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst."[11]
Conclusion
On another night, I found myself back in my van headed for the emergency room at the University of Utah. It was rainy, cold, and dark. It was one of those wet nights where the water on the road seemed to absorb all of the light from the headlights. My wife was driving, and I was doing my best to distract myself from the pain. As we rounded the curve on the highway in Utah near Lagoon, we started to hear a thump-thump-thump. It became apparent that we once again had a flat tire. The tire needed to be fixed. I was able to change the tire in less than 10 minutes. I even knew that I needed to retract the cable.
This experience was humbling in a different way. I learned something that I did not know I needed to know. I understood that "all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." I was given the opportunity to learn how to change a tire on a pleasant day, with full health, so I could change a tire on a rainy night with compromised health. The Lord blessed me with knowledge that He knew I needed to have.
There is joy in conscious incompetence when we recognize that it is part of the learning process. I know that this life provides life experiences that help us become more through the grace of Jesus Christ. He loves and understands you perfectly. Experiences are customized for you in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. Today's challenge may be a great blessing for tomorrow.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Ether 12:27
[2] http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-than-done/
[3] 2 Nephi 2:19
[4] 2 Nephi 2:23-25
[5] 2 Nephi 2:24
[6] 2 Nephi 28:30
[7] Alma 32:30
[8] Alma 32:41
[9] D&C 122:7
[10] Alma 7:12
[11] Alma 32:42