Michael Aldrich, BYU–Hawaii's director of the Library and the Center for Academic Success, spoke on the importance of not knowing and how it can allow people to develop their faith. He was the devotional speaker on March 30 in the Cannon Activities Center.
The journey of not knowing
Aldrich counseled students to have hope, step forward and act with faith when they may not have all the answers because “while we may not know, our Father in Heaven does know. And our faith in His knowledge and understanding covers our own lack.”
He explained “The journey from not knowing takes time. Each of us is on a path from not knowing to knowing, and each path is unique. Don’t judge others by where you feel they should be, rather celebrate where they are and how far they have come.”
Aldrich described an experience he had about not knowing what was going to happen when he and his wife had their first child. Four months after being born, he had to rush his daughter, Carina, to the Primary Children’s Hospital because she had an overactive heart rate, he said.
“That drive was probably the hardest drive of my life.” He recalled having feelings of anxiety, confusion and uncertainty. “We had no idea what was happening,” he recounted.
Carina was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia, Aldrich shared, which necessitated close monitoring of her heart rate. To help their daughter through this illness, he said they learned, adapted and continued moving going from not knowing to knowing. Eventually, his daughter grew out of it, Aldrich said, and now has two daughters of her own.
Talking about another example of not knowing, Aldrich said at the start of the pandemic, he met with his staff at the BYUH library. He shared they had similar feelings of anxiety, confusion and uncertainty. His employees expressed frustration, he said, not because of the virus but because of the uncertainty surrounding it.
Nobody likes to say, “I don’t know,” Aldrich explained, because it’s like admitting a weakness. However, “I don’t know” is the default condition here in mortality, he said.
“Not knowing or remembering what occurred before our birth is necessary for us to be able to use our agency and to develop faith.” Mortals need to learn to be able to recognize what they don’t know, and they need to be able to act when they don’t know, he said.
According to Aldrich, if people know something, there is no need to believe in it or act in faith on it. But he said it is when people do not know, they then learn how to walk by faith.
Greg Tivles, a junior from Vanuatu majoring in communications, said he thought the talk was excellent because he too can relate to not knowing at times in his life.
“My takeaway is we all feel incompetent at times when we don’t know what we’re doing. However, the speech has helped me realize we are not the only ones who have had to say, ‘I don’t know’ at some point in our lives,” Tivles said.
Using the examples of Adam and Eve, Lehi and Nephi, Joseph Smith, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Jesus Christ’s disciples, and Alma, Aldrich illustrated in his talk the importance of the journey to receive knowledge.
Adam’s lack of knowledge made him rely on the Lord for guidance through faith, and he was later rewarded with greater knowledge, Aldrich said. Nephi knew the overall goal of leaving Jerusalem but didn’t know how he would do it. Journeys require “mov[ing] forward in faith, trusting that the knowledge will come,” Aldrich said.
Tivles said through Aldrich's talk, he learned prophets, apostles, and others have said to themselves during their lives, ‘I don’t know.’ “When we understand that we don’t know anything and want to learn more, we begin to develop,” he said.
“Often we don't understand why the Lord wants us to do those things in life. We do it, though, because we believe in God and his teachings,” he said.
Learning with faith
There are different types of not knowing, said Aldrich, and faith can help with each one. He said, “There is not knowing of facts, such as, what is the condescension of God? There is not knowing of actions, such as not knowing beforehand what I should do.
“There is not knowing of reasons, such as why am I asked to sacrifice or why is this person blind? And there is not knowing of what will happen in the future, such as not knowing what will happen to our daughter or if we will survive the fiery furnace.”
However, Aldrich said people can have the hope and faith to keep going because the God understands and knows all things.
As General Conference is this weekend, April 3 and 4, Aldrich counseled students to be humble, to write down their questions, then ask to receive the answers to their questions as they listen to conference.
He said, “Come, listen to a prophet’s voice and hear and feel the answers to your questions. Exercise your faith by allowing the Lord to help you along the path through the words and spirit of His servants. He loves you. He will provide answers for you.”
Believing in the Lord
Alan Pineda, a future BYUH student from Mexico who is currently serving as a missionary in Phoenix, Arizona, said he admired Aldrich's talk.
He said, “I loved his talk. It helped me to understand that we do not need to always know everything as long as we are willing to have our hearts open to the gospel.”
“As a missionary, my takeaway from the devotional is to believe in the Lord. If I don’t know exactly how I’m going to accomplish anything, all I have to do is trust in the Lord,” Elder Pineda said.
About Michael Aldrich
Emma Aldrich introduced her husband at the devotional and described him as a caring and hardworking employee, father of eight, and grandfather. “His love of learning and willingness to work hard has enabled him to provide for his family,” she said.
She shared Michael Aldrich earned a double major in elementary education and psychology from BYU in Provo and went on to receive a master’s degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University and then a second master’s degree in public administration.
Michael Aldrich has been a librarian at the Joseph F. Smith Library since 2011.