Knowing that we know

Douglas L. Callister (2007, November, Ensign) spoke about recognizing
a testimony when we get one.  He told the story of Heber J. Grant.

When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as president of the
Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true.
President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency,
inquired, "Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart,
… but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don't
you know absolutely that this gospel is true?"

Heber answered, "I do not." Joseph F. Smith then turned to John
Taylor, the President of the Church, and said, "I am in favor of
undoing this afternoon what we did this morning. I do not think any
man should preside over a stake who has not a perfect and abiding
knowledge of the divinity of this work."

President Taylor replied, "Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, [Heber] knows it
just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that
he does know it."

Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and young Heber J.
Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding, and absolute
testimony that came into his life.

Here is another story about gaining testimony:

Years ago I presided over a mission headquartered in the Midwest. One
day, with a handful of our missionaries, I spoke with an esteemed
representative of another Christian faith. This gentle soul spoke of
his own religion's history and doctrine, eventually repeating the
familiar words: "By grace ye are saved. Every man and woman must
exercise faith in Christ in order to become a saved being."

Among those present was a new missionary. He was altogether unfamiliar
with other religions. He had to ask the question, "But, sir, what
happens to the little baby who dies before he is old enough to
understand and exercise faith in Christ?" The learned man bowed his
head, looked at the floor, and said, "There ought to be an exception.
There ought to be a loophole. There ought to be a way, but there
isn't."

The missionary looked at me and, with tears in his eyes, said,
"Goodness, President, we do have the truth, don't we!"

The moment of testimony realization—when you know that you know—is
sweet and sublime.

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