A Dented Boat and Strengthened Faith
On Sunday, January 13, 2019, Elder and Sister Renlund spoke to young adults at a worldwide devotional. You can view the devotional here.
In the analogy, Sister Renlund explained, the boat represents the Church and the fisherman those who serve in the Church. While there may be metaphorically peeling paint, dents in the boat, and stale soda crackers, Sister Renlund testified that “the sole purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in Their work to bring to pass the eternal life of God’s children.”
Elder Renlund continued to speak about the faith we each need, saying, “God wants us to have faith so that He can bless us. Faith is the key that unlocks God’s mercy. A person needs to decide that he or she wants to have faith and then act in faith before faith can grow.”
When we have questions, Elder and Sister Renlund urged us to not play a game of “whack-a-mole” where we temporarily resolve one question only to move on to the next, allowing our doubt to keep us from finding answers in faith. Elder Renlund said in the devotional, “Doubt is not and will never be the precursor of faith any more than light depends on darkness for its creation.”
Instead of playing “whack-a-mole,” Elder Renlund urged us to choose faith and to act in faith: “Stagnant doubt does not lead to knowing the reality of the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement; it does not lead to knowing that we have a kind, loving Heavenly Father who instituted the great plan of salvation. We can come to know the truthfulness of this latter-day work, but it requires that we choose faith, not doubt, and that we go to the reliable, trustworthy sources for our answers.”
Class Discussion Questions
Want to discuss the devotional in your classroom? Here are some questions to facilitate discussion and spark inspiration:
- How do you build your faith?
- How have you been blessed when you have had faith?
- How have you seen your faith grow by choosing to have faith and then acting on it?
- How can we combat perpetual doubting?
- If asking questions is “normal and the root of gospel learning,” how can we remember to ask in faith instead of doubt?
- What trustworthy sources do you go to to find answers to your questions?
- How can we develop faith and keep it strong?
Classroom Resources
Use the videos and images below to help your class discussion of faith and doubt:
Download: Small (360p), Medium (720p), Large (1080p)
Download: Small (360p), Medium (720p), Large (1080p)
Download: Small (360p)
