Living and Growing: How can I know truth? (In a tricky world)
Published 5:30 am Sunday, March 1, 2026
How can I know what is true? At one time in our lives, this may have seemed like a simple task. You learned that two plus two was four, and you set off on a quest to learn and gain more knowledge. Sometime along the way, you may have realized that many people find seemingly contradictory things to be true. Or that man has many times declared truth to be found, only to later discover huge errors in their understanding. At one time, humans were quite positive that the Earth was flat and the center of the universe or that smoking made one strong and was good for a sore throat. Living in the information age, we often have endless amounts of information at our fingertips, but increasingly it feels like truth can be further away.
As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated, “We each have a responsibility to know truth for ourselves. This is more than an opportunity; it is an obligation—and it is one of the reasons we were sent to this earth. We are not asked to blindly accept everything we hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, search, evaluate, and come to a personal knowledge of the truth.”
What can help us on this journey to find truth? Have you ever been somewhere and just had an icky feeling? Where you thought, I’m not sure why, but I would really like to get out of here now. Or contrastingly, have you ever been somewhere where you felt so warm and loved that you never wanted to leave? Those feelings are sent to you by a loving Heavenly Father who wants you to have a sure and certain guide to lead you through this joyful and often challenging life. Like an old dial up radio, it can at times seem like we are only hearing static. But each time we have those feelings and heed them, the next time we hear it a little louder and a little clearer. A wise and loving guide, this Spirit can lead you through the troublesome and confusing forests of life to the paths of joy.
President Russell M. Nelson warned us, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” President Dallin H. Oaks recently restated this counsel and said, “One of the many reasons you will need the constant influence of the Holy Ghost is that you live in a season in which the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived. Many obstacles lie ahead. The distractions will be many.” I was struck by the fact that he did not say we could be deceived, or we may be deceived. He said without the Spirit guiding us, we will be deceived. Considering these warnings, the time to be a seeker of truth is now.
Why does truth feel further away? “Part of the reason for poor judgment comes from the tendency of mankind to blur the line between belief and truth. We too often confuse belief with truth, thinking that because something makes sense or is convenient, it must be true. Conversely, we sometimes don’t believe truth or reject it—because it would require us to change or admit that we were wrong. Often, truth is rejected because it doesn’t appear to be consistent with previous experiences. When the opinions or “truths” of others contradict our own, we often jump to conclusions or make assumptions that the other person is misinformed, mentally challenged, or even intentionally trying to deceive,” cautioned Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
As you accept the responsibility to seek after truth with an open mind and a humble heart, you will become more tolerant of others, more open to listen, more prepared to understand, more inclined to build up instead of tearing down, and more willing to go where our loving Heavenly Father wants you to go.
Jacqueline F. Tupou is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
