Triangulating Spiritual Truth

I was watching a detective show the other night when I heard a familiar phrase. "Can you triangulate that call?" Any Law & Order fan knows that when a signal—like from a cell phone—bounces off three towers, an accurate location can be established.

Thinking about that piqued my interest about triangles in general, and since I'm nerdy like that, I started reading more about them. It turns out that triangles are awesome! They're super strong. According to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, to change a triangle's shape, an edge must collapse. But edges can be fortified, making the triangle able to hold large loads. They are ideal building blocks.

But here's the crazy thing—triangles are simple, too. In fact, they're the simplest polygon. According to the University of Cambridge Wild Maths program, a common way to approach a tricky problem, like analyzing a complex surface, is by approximating it with these simple triangles.

Accuracy.
Strength.
Simplicity.

The thought occurred to me that those words can apply to more than physical structures. Those are also words that I want to describe my spiritual self! Perhaps developing a habit of "triangulating truth" could help me gain and hold onto increased understanding.

What would the corners of a spiritual triangulation system be?

• One possible corner for triangulation could be the word of God in scripture. Asking "What do the scriptures say about this?" is a good way to start any gospel search, right? 

• Another possible corner could be counsel from contemporary spiritual leaders. What are the men and women I respect and trust saying? 

• A third corner could be the especially-important element of personal revelation. Where is my inner compass pointing? What is the Holy Spirit telling my soul?

I think I'd like to spend more time where those intersect—when a proposed action or teaching resonates with all three—especially the next time a doctrinal question or tricky topic surfaces.

What helps you identify truth in your life? Please share! I'd love to learn from you.