See 'Dat!?!

Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson had a conversation in, "Bohemian Scandal", one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles literary classics:

“You see, but you do not observe." Sherlock says. He continues with, "The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.”

“Frequently.”

“How often?”

“Well, some hundreds of times.”

“Then how many are there?”

“How many? I don't know.”

“Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed."

C'mon, How Could You Miss It?!

We can glance at life and the things before us, or we can perceive and comprehend the nature and significance of in its fullest. In short, we can GET IT. Though not all people will for normal everyday things, we all have the capacity to truly observes spiritual and gospel related things, even if we are not Sherlock Holmes. True observation is hard work, you must decide where your priorities lie. And then, we will have the spirit to help us as we seek it.

David A. Bednar gave a talk entitled, "Quick to Observe". The focus is on Mormon, one of the principle compilers of the Nephite record we know today as the Book of Mormon. When reading the first chapter of Mormon we find the following:

And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.

And about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, . . .) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe;

Because of his being quick to observe, he was given the record at the age of 24 for safekeeping and upkeeping. That is kind of a big deal. It was pretty much the most important charge he could possibly have received as the Book of Mormon was meant for us here today, scripture to be brought forth unto "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Title Page of BoM), and essentially the only evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and thus the Mormons not so crazy.

... However I Still Can't Vouch For The Weird Green-Jello Fixation The General LDS Community Has

 

So exactly what does it mean to be, "Quick to Observe"?

As used in the scriptures, the word observe has two primary uses. One use denotes to obey or to keep—as is evident in verse 6 of section 54 in the Doctrine and Covenants:  

But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment, for they shall obtain mercy.

 The second use of the word observe suggests to look or to see or to notice—as we learn in Isaiah 42:20:  

Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

Thus, when you and I are "quick to observe," we promptly obey or look or notice. An old football coach once told me, "Don't tell me you know, show me you know."

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You really just don't get it... do you?

One more quote as food for thought:

I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it.

I'll let you figure out a way to make this relevant to this topic. Cheers!