Calculus class

My calculus class in high school was one of my most frustrating experiences.

I consider myself pretty strong at math.

And I truly wanted to learn each element of calculus.

But I had to ask a lot of questions as I learned how to do calculus.

The problem was that my high school teacher was never clear in her responses to questions.

I’d ask questions in class, meet with her at lunchtime, or send her an email, and yet I always left our sessions feeling more confused than when I first went in.

Every question seemed to lead to a tangent or a vague explanation.

It was honestly so frustrating.

I vented to my mom about how confused I felt, and she told me to call my grandpa, who had been a math professor.

After asking my grandpa just a few questions and listening to his responses, my brain was finally calm and clear.

I was learning!

I understood concepts.

I could accurately solve problems on my own.

I felt relieved.

I think about young Joseph Smith, trying to get his own answers to spiritual questions.

But he was left feeling quite frustrated.

In the Restoration Proclamation, we read:

“He had questions regarding the salvation of his soul and trusted that God would direct him.”

Can you imagine?

Asking the basic questions of the soul and not finding any sort of satisfactory answer?

The apostasy was a time of spiritual confusion.

It was a time where everyone had the same questions and yearned for truth but could not get correct answers.

Joseph felt this himself.

And at the right time, God used Joseph to bring much-needed clarity and relief to his children.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black