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Lessons Caught

The best teachers in life don't give us answers to questions; rather, they guided us in the process of finding our own answers. As learners seek out and find their own answers by exercising faith, they will retain those answers for a lifetime.

David A. Bednar, "Seek Learning by Faith," CES Broadcast, 3 Feb 2006

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How have your teachers helped you to learn by faith? In what ways can you change your perspective about learning difficult or unclear material to align with Elder Bednar’s insights?

Frustration can occur when you are preparing for a test or completing an assignment, and the instructions seem vague or the material, nebulous. Although such situations can be challenging, they often present significant opportunities to learn by faith. Elder David A. Bednar shared an insight about how his teachers in years past helped him to learn by faith (CES address, “Learning by Faith,” February 3, 2006):

"I have observed a common characteristic among the instructors who have had the greatest influence in my life. They have helped me to seek learning by faith. They refused to give me easy answers to hard questions. In fact, they did not give me any answers at all. Rather, they pointed the way and helped me take the steps to find my own answers. I certainly did not always appreciate this approach, but experience has enabled me to understand that an answer given by another person usually is not remembered for very long, if remembered at all. But an answer we discover or obtain through the exercise of faith, typically, is retained for a lifetime. The most important learnings of life are caught—not taught."