From his book ‘Teachings of Russell M. Nelson, we read:
We all understand the importance of education. Perhaps now we should consider how to learn. May I suggest four steps to facilitate the learning process.
Desire. The first is to have a great desire to know the truth. As a teacher of surgery for many years, I observed the differences in desires of individuals to learn. Before every operation there is an interval for scrubbing hands for a measured period of time. Some trainees have either been silent or have passed this time with trivial conversations that had no substance. Those with desire filled that time with questions. I observed that students with great desire know what they don’t know and seek to fill those voids,
Inquire. The second step would be to study with an inquiring mind. Again I take this pattern from the scriptures, You remember when the brother of Jared was preparing for a transoceanic migration, he realized that there was no provision for light in the ships. So he asked the Lord, “Wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?”
The Lord gave an interesting reply:”What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?. . . .Ye cannot have windows for they will be dashed to pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you. . . . Ye shall be as a wale in the midst of the sea.” (Ether 2:22-23)
The Lord could have told the brother of Jared what to do, but he was left to study this out in his own mind before proffering the solution. As a result, he selected sixteen stones and then asked the Lord to touch them that they might provide the light for their travel.
The same concept was again stressed in latter-day revelation, when the Lord told His servant, “You have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-8).
Many of the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were given to the prophets only after profound study and thoughtful, focused inquiry of the Lord. So it was with the Word of Wisdom and also with the revelation on the priesthood given to President Spencer W. Kimball in 1978. Similarly, you will learn best with the spirit of inquiry.
Apply. The third step is to apply or practice your learning in your daily lives, Those who have learned another language know how important that is. Even with great desire and study, mastery of the language comes only as it is applied to the daily situations of life.
Pray. The fourth and very important step in the learning process is to pray for help. I did not hesitate to communicate with the Lord in great detail, even about the technical steps in a new operative procedure that was to be performed. Often just the process of rehearsing in my mind while engaged in prayer allowed divine direction for me to see a better way.
(“Begin with the End in Mind, ” BYU Fifteen-Stake Fireside, September 30, 1984… Also in “Teachings of Russell M. Nelson, Deseret Book 2018 p.94-96)
