“And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.” (Alma 12:10). We have a tendency to set a hard limit on knowledge. We place great emphasis on facts - irrefutable, incontrovertible, undeniable facts. This is the one and only correct truth for now and for all time. We draw rigid lines around what is considered canon or orthodox, and deny other interpretations. These cold, hard facts are the lesser portion of God's word. Such truth that is still in them is merely the lifeless husk, caught and pinned down and sealed off like butterflies in a lepidopterist’s collection. The greater portion of God's word is a living thing. It can't be pinned down or locked into place. We call these the mysteries of God because they are constantly unfolding and revealing new layers and hidden depths the more and more that we study them. If we decide that we already know everything there is to know, we stunt our growth. We cling to an incomplete and poorly drawn map of the world and anytime the truth intrudes upon our perfectly ordered model, we have no choice but to deny such truth, which means our map of the world must shrink more and more each time until we know nothing about the mysteries of God. But if we instead harden not our hearts but with humble hearts ask for and seek out and gratefully receive the greater portion of the word, we will broaden and deepen and heighten our understanding of the mysteries of God. And just as hardening our hearts and denying the truth leads us to forfeit more and more of our understanding and knowledge, softening our hearts and embracing the truth leads us to inherit more and more of God's mysteries. Each mystery that we begin to understand unlocks a dozen more mysteries, which in turn unlock even more mysteries. The greater portion of the word of God, the living, breathing portion, the one that glitters and entices to look ever more closely at all of its hidden wonders, this greater portion leads to an eternal and infinite expansion of our knowledge and understanding.
