I have a curiosity problem. I lie awake wondering crazy things, jot down notes, and do research the next day. This contributes to my weekly humor blog, and the many cooking contests I’ve won, simply by thinking, “What if we made this a spiral?” or “What if we stacked this vertically?”

My kids inherited this trait, and my journals are filled with their questions:

If the earth is spinning, how can we walk on it? How far is almost? What do germs say? How do flowers sleep? Why do our teeth have breaks and spaces in them? What keeps the planets up? If this restaurant wants to look homey, why don’t people just stay home? What did they have before they had boxes? If owls catch mice at night, why don’t mice come out in the day, instead? What makes spider webs sticky? If Atlas is holding up the world, then where is he standing? Can seahorses bite? What does heaven look like?

There are so many things to wonder about. And every time I come across a scripture that says there was more information, but they were forbidden to write it down, I nearly fall off my chair. Aaugh!  I want to know what it was!  What are these secrets held for a future date? At least I’m hoping there’s a future date!  I can hardly stand the suspense.

We went out to dinner with some friends, a couple who are great scriptorians.  I confessed my angst about hidden material and the husband told me to go to LDS tools and look up “All Things,” just to see which scriptures use that phrase. (Click on the little magnifying glass to search, then type in whatever phrase you like.)

I went right home and did it. Oh my goodness. I was overwhelmed. As I scrolled through hundreds of scriptures, all kinds of insights began to distill upon me. Things about the creation, about power, about the Godhead, about faith, about the restoration, about us and our future.  It was like crawling into a kaleidoscope and examining the crystals.  Most of all, I began to understand why everything couldn’t be laid out just yet. I tasted patience.

Then I thought, what if we tried this with other topics?  What if you have a wayward child you’re concerned about? What if you struggle to stop caring what others think and care more about what God thinks?  What if you’re grieving? What if you’re having a faith crisis?  What if you’re anxious or unhappy but you don’t know what to do about it?  There are countless trials we face in life, but every one of them can have a description, a title. Type that in, and immerse yourself in what the Lord has said about it. You could also use the topical guide, but the online search can include General Conference talks and more. You cannot help but gain comfort and insight.

My eyes, my brain, and my heart feel full to overflowing with “all things.” No wonder we couldn’t be given every single bit of information—some of us would choke! And we have enough to challenge us right now. Are any of us perfect, yet?  Nope. We all need to renew our covenants and repent weekly by taking the Sacrament. Just keeping the commandments is hard. Consistent altruism is hard. It’s all hard! Why would I want even more?

It turns out I can visit my new “All Things” tab whenever I want to center myself, bask in blessings, and renew my energy. My faith grew exponentially as I saw patterns and promises unfold. You can do it, too.  The heavens are open, we just need to look.  P.S. What else does my friend know??

Hilton’s books, humor blog, and Youtube Mom videos can be found on her website. She currently serves as an Inter-Faith Specialist for Church Communications.