The Natural Man (and Woman)

The great prophet-king Benjamin, in one of the greater sermons of the Book of Mormon, spoke of our condition in this mortal sphere. He gave this insight into our "natural state":

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becoming a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

We all have come to earth with certain capacities. As descendants of Adam and Eve, one of those capacities is to sin, or in other words, to do bad things or to not do good things, causing a disconnect between us and God. This condition has certain consequences. Paul spoke of one. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). That natural, mortal condition is to do nothing, or do "evil." Doing nothing and/or doing "evil" is what is contrary to the nature of God, because it prevents us from progressing. One Brother Robert Millet wrote an article in the June 1992 Ensign magazine speaking of the natural man. He wrote, "So what characterizes the natural man? Simply stated, the natural man is the man who remains in his fallen condition; he has not experienced a rebirth." So how can we shed the natural man? King Benjamin gave the answer, and we'll break it down this way. Our journey to shedding that shell of the natural man is threefold: learn, change, and act.


1. Learn

King Benjamin first highlights two ways in which we begin to experience that spiritual rebirth that Brother Millet spoke of. 1) He (or she) "yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and 2) "putteth off the natural man" through embracing the Atonement of Jesus Christ. President Ezra Taft Benson once said something extremely profound about our relationship to Christ and His Atonement. He said, "Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ." The question that many non-believers ask is this: "Why do we need Christ?" The Lord himself answered that question:

"For the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin. And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me" (D&C 84:49-50). It is one thing to do nothing to shed the natural man and be stuck in a rut of not progressing because of seemingly petty sins. It is another to be "under the bondage of sin." Unfortunately, the nature of sin is such that it is often addictive. Some of those acts, such as drugs, alcohol, and pornography are physically and mentally addictive, to the point where our natural bodies yearn for more, even when our hearts are ready to give it all up. That is the beautiful thing about the Atonement. On a chilly spring evening in a garden in Jerusalem called Gethsemane, Jesus the Christ not only suffered for all the consequences of our sins, but in so doing was able to allow himself to remove and carry our burdens of sin so that we can change. As we learn of Christ and the extent to which His beautiful Atonement applies to our situation, we can have a greater capacity and a greater desire to begin to strip off that outer shell of the natural man and woman.

2. Change

The next step in this process comes naturally with our increasing knowledge and understanding of how the Atonement applies to us. It is through repentance. Something that we misunderstand about this process, however is this: repentance is less about correcting wrongs just because we're evil and need to be clean (though that is a major reason to flock to repentance), and more about changing ourselves by correcting those same wrongs. President Benson said, "The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change the environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." Repentance truly can change us. It's not just like a dirty shirt that gets washed, but can easily get dirty again. If we are changed by the atonement through full faith and repentance of our sin, it's like washing a shirt that then will never get dirty again. As we learn of Christ and the implications of the atonement, and make the determination to change as a result, those traits attributed to the natural man--selfishness, hate, pride--begin to be changed for the pure ones.

In an article on the children's learning website, Wonderopolis, the topic of a process in reptiles called ecdysis is discussed. This is the technical name for the shedding of skin. Specifically speaking of the process snakes, the writer says the following: "Snakes shed their skin to allow for further growth and to remove parasites that may have attached to their old skin. As a snake grows, its skin becomes stretched. Unlike human skin, a snake’s skin doesn’t grow as the animal grows. Eventually, a snake’s skin reaches a point where further growth is not possible." When we repent, we are going through our own spiritual ecdysis process. We are allowing for growth--spiritual growth--that could not be had otherwise.

3. Act

The following attributes, as we read in King Benjamin's address, should come rather naturally with our change. They are submissiveness, meekness, humility, patience, and charity. Submissiveness is the act of being ready to submit or yield to the authority of another; unresistingly or humbly obedient. Meekness is the condition of being righteous and long-suffering. Humility is a modest view of one's own importance in relation to God. Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Charity is the pure love of Christ. What's the common factor between these attributes? We need to act in order to fully develop them. So many of us fail to complete the process of spiritual ecdysis and shedding the natural man or woman because we think that once we have a conviction of the Atonement and have repented we are like that invincible washed shirt. But the process requires further action. That action is making sure that we develop the attributes outlined by King Benjamin.

A tell-tale sign of whether or further action is working is how we feel. As we continue to act, we will feel a greater measure of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit will be far more evident in our lives. As Paul described, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). Our "natural man" reactions of hate, indifference, pessimism, complaining, rudeness, and impatience will begin to be as the skin of a snake; we'll slide right out of that shell and realize that we have been changed. What we need to realize, however, is that this is not a one-time event. It requires constant attention, and consistent acting.

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, wrote, "This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round that some of us are someday going to come to life." This life is a test. We have natural challenges associated from our fallen, mortal state. I have been saying that "we" are the ones shedding the skin of the natural man. In truth, it would be more accurate to say that the Lord removes that skin if we let him. That falls in line with Lewis' quote. Our Heavenly Father and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, can only act as the sculptor if we stay still and let them do their work. It does require us to recognize those moments when we step off the workman's table. If we have a habit that is keeping us from progressing, we should remember these three steps--learn, change, act--if we want that weakness to become a strength:

1) LEARN by studying the ways to overcome,
2) CHANGE our heart and our attitude, and
3) ACT to develop attributes necessary to strengthen our characters.

I have written previously on goal-setting (see here). If you take a look there, you'll find some suggestions on how to properly set goals. It may be useful to think about as we look to start on that path to overcoming those preventative habits. Once we start on the path, trusting in faith that our Heavenly Father can teach that we may learn, mold that we may change, and gently nudge that we may act, we will be well on our way to discovering who we can truly become.

Goals

Christ, as recorded in the gospel of Luke, teaches us an important lesson about how we come to reach our full potential as disciples: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish" (Luke 14:28-30). Here our Savior teaches about the importance of planning. Planning and goal-setting are innately connected. I will try and expand on the latter, getting down to the nitty-gritty of goal-setting: the why, the what, and the how.


Why Goals?

As creations of God, we seem to have a natural tendency to set goals. We want to get in shape, be an astronaut, get married in the temple. These goals come naturally with powerful motivations to accomplish that goal that we have set. What we seem to fail to do is two-fold: 1) We fail to plan ahead in order to fully grasp what needs to be done to accomplish it (like the tower that Christ spoke of) and 2) we fail to constantly focus on setting goals as the primary means of progression in this "tabernacle of clay." Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life" (see Preach My Gospel manual, chapter 8).

Goals are the means by which we shake off little by little our shell of the natural man and woman that surrounds the godly skeleton within us. It also is a way of measuring our overall progress goal by goal. It's very difficult to measure how we're doing if our direction isn't clearly defined. That is why "mastering" the art of goal-setting, as Elder Ballard describes, is so vital to our ultimate progression in this life. In the satirical words of the late, great Yogi Berra, "If you don't know where you're going, you might end up some place else."


What Goals?

If you have served a mission, or took some time to click the above link and read through chapter 8 of the missionary manual, Preach My Gospel, you know that a major part of full-time missionary work in Christ's modern Church is goal-oriented. Every week, missionaries hold a weekly planning session, where they set goals to push themselves to maximize their efforts in sharing the gospel and having their investigators progress toward accepting the covenant of baptism. Every day, missionaries set goals in the same areas, and try to ultimately reach those weekly goals through continued daily effort. Though there was not a single week in my mission that I met all of the goals I set, the principles of the goal-setting have made a huge impact on how I go about trying to improve myself, and these have spilled over into my post-mission life. The difference, however, between mission goals and life goals is that most of the mission goals were given to us; they were called our "Key Indicators," and they were even nicely printed into our daily planners with a box for the goal and one for the result. But life is so topsy-turvy; how are we supposed to know what goals to set? I suggest a few simple steps.


1) Ponder. The late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "Pondering, which means to weigh mentally, to deliberate, to meditate, can achieve the opening of the spiritual eyes of one's understanding....To soundly plant good in our heart requires prolonged, intense, unremitting pondering. It is a deep, ongoing, regenerating process which refines the soul." The pondering that you must do is to ponder who you are, where you're at, and where you'd like to be. It would be helpful to watch (or re-watch) President Nelson's devotional from earlier this year to learn how to do that.

2) Pray. Once you have begun to understand who you are and who you'd like to become, you can begin to get a sense of what will be required of you. What praying does is shows our Heavenly Father that we are willing to follow this course of personal betterment. It is your first true act of faith in the matter. You must pray and ask what you can do to "be anxiously engaged" in the cause of your own progress.

3) Get your goals on paper. Write down where you'd like to end up with your progress, and brainstorm ways to do that. As you write them down (on paper or on your computer) the Spirit will reveal specific ways in which you can begin your road to progress.

4) Commit. You can learn nothing nor will you progress in any real degree unless you fully commit to your goals.

5) Pray again. Bring your goals to the Lord and enlist His aid in your having the strength and diligence to stick to your goals. As Nephi taught, "Ye must not perform anything unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul" (2 Nephi 32:9).

How Goals

While it's good and fine to follow those steps and have that disposition to improve, one of our great failures regarding goals is not really planning ahead. I can set a goal to lose weight, but if I don't stop to plan out what I must remove from my diet or add to my physical activity, there's very little chance that I will do it. On my mission my companion created this visual to help the missionaries under his stewardship to understand the importance of setting sub-goals to our ultimate goals.
Setting goals is much like walking up stairs. For most of us, this activity is now like second nature. But think about walking up an particularly unknown set of stairs you are climbing for the first time. If you're focused on the destination at the top of the stairs, you run the risk of miscalculating your next step, tripping, and falling before you reach that goal. The principle is the same with goal-setting, especially when we are trying to change something very important in our lives. We need to set sub-goals that will lead us to the "big goal." The visual notes, "Every [individual] step is a goal. The progress can be daily, weekly, or during the course of our lives, but if we don’t set goals in how we are going to meet the goal, we won’t get there." As you follow the steps in the section above, remember this: some greater goals require sub-goals. If we humbly enlist the Lord in the planning process, we will know how we can best succeed.


Stopping to re-examine the scripture from Luke, it is important to note the following. With our goals and our planning of them, it is extremely uncommon that somebody mocks us when we come short of our goals and our plans. But certain feelings can come upon us: guilt, sadness, disappointment, etc. This, however, is really only the case if we fail to plan. If we plan out specific ways in which to complete the goal, if we fail, we will be left with a clear understanding of what went wrong. We can then correct the problem and move on with confidence. On the other hand, if (and when) we succeed, we will also have the satisfaction that we didn't do so "by accident." We did so because of our diligence and the Lord's grace. We will then be on a beautiful road to a far-better us.

Humility of Christ in His Ministry

Jesus provides us with a perfect blueprint of what our attitude should be as we strive to be more humble in our lives. Luke recounts that Jesus grew and "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Are we not trying to do the same?

But life is hard, isn't it? We so easily fall where Christ did not. It's easy to understand that Jesus was perfectly humble, but what aspects of that humility can we easily pick up on and then apply to our daily devotion? I will touch on just three of the many aspects of Jesus humility--a perfect humility: sacrifice, compassion, and ultimate submissiveness to the Father. 

We talked previously about how the King of kings, the Son of the living God was born in a stable, and laid in a trough for a bed. Let's contrast that to something that was recorded by the apostle Matthew in his recounting of the gospel:

A man came to Jesus and boldly stated, "Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." I'm sure Jesus smiled at this man's faith. I'm sure He was pleased with the man's willingness to follow. But His answer to that statement is a great example of how humility and sacrifice are so powerfully connected. He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:19-20), Remembering His birth, the manger became a necessity when "there was no room for [Him] in the inn" (Luke 2:7). Apparently, there was still no room for Him. He was the Son of the Father. He was Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament. He had created the earth. Could He not conjure up some shelter with a nice pillow and a warm blanket? Surely He could--but He did not. Why? Because with humility comes perspective--an Eternal one. What Christ was teaching this man, and what He teaches us is that with humility comes the necessity to sacrifice. He wasn't complaining to this man that He didn't have a set home to live in. He was making the point that if he really wanted to follow, he would have to give up everything. And so it is with us. In order to enjoy the eternal blessings, we must sacrifice some of the temporal possessions that most of the world enjoys: football on Sundays, a fancy car that one gets by utilizing 100% of their earnings, and not just 90%, and so on. We demonstrate humility as we give those things up, for the greater good of promised eternal blessings.

One of the more poignant and powerful examples of Christ's overall humility came when He was challenged by a particularly bold group of Pharisees. John recounts how a woman, who was found in the very act of illicit, immoral affairs, was brought violently before the Savior, and challenged of His devotion to Jewish law. His thought-provoking answer of "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," caused the group to momentarily disperse. John then records, "He said unto [the woman], Woman...hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:7-11). What is of note is Jesus' perfect example of humility through compassion. The world today completely misunderstands this example and the application of it amongst those of certain groups. Jesus did not say, "I forgive you right this minute, just minutes after you were committing a gross act of infidelity to your husband and to your God." He did not say, "Even though you're a sinner, it's okay." He said, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more." Compassion and love do not imply an unconditional acceptance of everyone's actions. What it does imply is a complete, unconditional acceptance of the person. In truth, Jesus has a standard of excellence that is required for us to reach eternal life. Not living up to it in this mortal sphere does not condemn us, nor does it take away from His love for us. Isn't that a lesson to us? If Christ, who was perfect, can love us all unconditionally despite the many ways in which we mess up, shouldn't we love our fellow brethren and sisters unconditionally, also? We are imperfect just like them, after all, though in different ways. What we learn from this: we must be humble enough to realize our imperfection and apply the following truths as a result:

We have no right to judge others. We have no right to think less of anyone because they commit what we judge to be a "greater sin." I hope we can begin to apply that more fully. 

After the episode with the woman, the Pharisees for whatever reason felt particularly courageous to contend with Jesus, and the accusations began. As a result, Jesus began to preach clearly and powerfully about His identity as the Messiah. In that very chapter, John records, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him" (John 8:28-29). Of all of the examples of humility that I have studied, this is one of the more powerful declarations of it from the Savior himself. From the statement itself, this may seem like an arrogant one. Spoken by anyone else and it certainly would be. But this is the Savior, after all; He was perfectly aware of His perfection because He was perfectly aware that if He were to slip up, His mission would immediately fail. One of the main and great ways in which Jesus showed humility during His ministry (and a way that we must learn to show as well) was perfect and ultimate submissiveness to the Father's will. For us, it has been asked that we follow the perimeters that Jesus set as our Mediator before the Father in order to do so. Those who have been baptized know what they are. Those who have gone through the temple know even clearer. What we learn is this: true discipleship is being humble after the manner of Christ, or in other words, doing nothing of ourselves, but instead doing all for the good and pleasure of our Father in Heaven. If we are not at that level, we should study our Savior's ministry: He knew exactly how to do just that.

In John 6, we find one of Christ's great sermons about how He would be our means of atonement. He had gained a particularly great following as a result of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, but this discourse was difficult for them, because it specified their own effort to be performed as key to its success. Many were not willing, and we read. "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). Imagine Jesus' sorrow as He watched His brothers and sisters walk away, offended by His teachings, and unwilling to follow what He knew perfectly well was to be the only means of obtaining eternal joy. He turned then in humility to His twelve apostles, and asked genuinely:

"Will ye not also go away?" (v. 67)

Peter, as would become the norm, stood with confidence and answered boldly with a question and a testimony: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 68-69).

We have seen many recently who have turned away, offended by the policies and stances of Christ's modern Church. These stances have been in direct contradiction to those of the world. That has put many in a tough spot. It was the same with Jesus' disciples during His ministry. As we watch our friends and our spiritual brothers and sisters turn away offended, Christ asks us what He asked His apostles, "Will ye not also go away?"

What is our answer? Will we be true, humble disciples, or will we turn away, offended?

To conclude, let me share a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

"We need to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of Christ. We must capture the Spirit of the early church. Wherever the early Christians went, they made a triumphant witness for Christ. Whether on the village streets or in the city jails, they daringly proclaimed the good news of the gospel." Let us follow suit, and answer as Peter did: "Lord, to whom shall we go?..."

Light

Light. Without it, our world would be dark and cold; the beauties within could not enjoyed. For a time, I had the privilege of getting up for work at 4am, when the sunrise is still hours away; the beautiful mountains of the Wasatch front in Provo remain in darkness. But when the light returns and the mountains again are visible, I can enjoy the beauty of those natural works of art.


In scripture and other prophecy, light is a powerful symbol of our journey in this mortal sphere. In both symbolic imagery and literal recounting, light is used to indicate direction, as received from our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Ten Virgins had to light their lamps so as to be prepared to meet the bridegroom. Lehi in a vision-dream stood in darkness and then saw the tree, full of brilliant light. In the days preceding Jesus' appearance to the Nephites, there was a period of darkness (a lack of light). Joseph Smith reported that a "pillar of light" appeared above him, in the which the Two Personages were then seen. Christ described himself as "the light of the world," indicating where we should always look for direction. The examples  vary greatly in their representation of light.

We will examine here elements of the rhetorical usage of light, including what it means to "receive" light, what it means to "be" a light, and how we can personally reflect on the amount of light in our lives.

First off, we often read in scripture and talks from General Authorities about "receiving light." In a physical sense, we don't really receive light, it simply is a reality of our being outside in the daytime, or in a lighted room. So how is it that we receive light? What does that entail? To receive light is to receive direction or clarity. It could also mean receiving a confirmation to an action or an answer to a question. Essentially, to receive light is to receive encouragement or guidance in any form from our Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. In many ways physical light and spiritual light are similar in their interactions with us. Physical light allows us to see the world around us; spiritual light allows us to see the world as God sees it. It's no coincidence that the word "vision" can refer both to our ability to see and a revelatory episode from the Lord. But there is a distinct difference. Elder Gerald Lund of the Seventy said this, on receiving light: "As the Lord reveals Himself and His will to us, one concept or one principle at a time, we have to choose whether to accept it or not. If we reject or ignore even small increments of light and truth, the process of receiving further light and knowledge is hindered." Receiving light requires us to actively and consciously accept it. We must search for it, and when it comes, we must accept it. In the physical world that is not necessarily true, but in the spiritual, it is essential to our following the path that the Lord has prepared for us. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph, the Lord said, "Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good--yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit...I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy," (D&C 11:12-13). As we seek for light through honest study of the scriptures and active, humble prayer, we can receive that light in the form of the Spirit.

Another phrase often used in Gospel contexts associated with light, is to be a light. If we think of light as the Spirit or revelation, we can quickly realize that these phrases are distinct in their usage of the symbol of light; it's hard for us to consciously be a revelation to others and obviously even harder to be the Spirit. But one prominent scripture and quotes from our modern prophet yield insight into this phrase. Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." President Monson said in his most recent Conference address:

"We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As we do so our lights will shine for others to see...As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and He taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others."

This is the way that we can be a light. That light which we receive as we live the gospel and gain insights through study and prayer becomes a visible, almost tangible entity within us. We all know great friends who are pure and diligent, who have a certain twinkle in their eyes. It's not our imagination, nor is it good genetics; it is the Spirit and the goodness within them showing through. As we act, attempting to serve others in the name of Christ, we share the light that we possess with them. We become instruments in His hands to help others also receive light, as we have. What a blessing that becomes in our own lives.

Another scripture yields insights on light in more than one language. Matthew 6: 22-23 says, "The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body should be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness, how great is that darkness!" We just discussed light in the eyes, but how can the light be the eyes? Being a Spanish aficionado, I often look to the scriptures in Spanish to compare, and this scripture, in the Reina-Valera, the Church-approved Spanish translation, yields certain insights. Translated from that scripture, it then reads:

"The lamp of the body is the eye; as such, if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be darkened. And so, if the light that is in you is darkened, how great will that darkness be?


 The light here is characterized more specifically as a lamp. When we walk in a darkened place, the only way that we can truly be enlightened as we progress is if we have our lamp pointed in the right direction. The only way to be truly guided to where we need to be is by focusing our lamps--our light--our eyes on the things of God. Note also that in English the last clause is an exclamation, while in Spanish, it's a question. As we look there, we realize that it is a personal question."If the light that is in you is darkened, how great will that darkness be?" If you were to turn your focus from the Lord to some less worthy endeavor, where will that leave you, personally? With certain sins or just bad habits, we often have certain stimuli or "sparks" that lead us to desire to return to sin. That is what causes our light to turn off, when we turn away from the lighted path by refocusing on those "sparks of sin." The light then dims, and we are left in spiritual darkness. But President Monson said, "With help from our Heavenly Father, coupled with support from others, we can regain that light which will illuminate our own path and provide the light others may need." So ask yourself:

If the light that is in me is darkened, how great will that darkness be? Where will it leave me, spiritually. This should be a deterrent from sin, as a great motivator to seek after light and righteousness.

In conclusion, the point of spiritual light is to make known; that is literally what the word revelation means. If we increase in light, we increase in our knowledge of the mysteries of God. We plant ourselves firmly on the path to becoming like our Father. As Ammon reported: "Unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed," (Alma 26:22). Let us strive to find that type of great enlightenment in our lives, that we might then be able to transmit it to others.

Why Do We Obey?

This is a time of year in which we tend to reevaluate our lives. With this new benchmark of a new year we ponder our weaknesses, and set goals to improve on them. Often we come to feel that we are not living up to par with the standards we set for ourselves, and/or the standards that the Lord has set for us. Maybe you feel you could be more faithful in studying the scriptures, or maybe you would like to be better at arriving on time to Sacrament Meeting so you may be better prepared to partake of the sacrament. Or maybe you have been struggling with a more serious sin, and would like to take those first steps of repentance. Whether its a sin or just a bad habit, its not only important that we set clear and specific goals to improve, but that we also remember why we should obey and where our hearts and desires should be as we do so.

The third verse of the Primary song "Nephi's Courage" reads like this:

The Lord gives us commandments and asks us to obey.
Sometimes I am tempted to choose another way.
When I'm discouraged, and think I cannot try,
I will be courageous, and I will reply:
"I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands.
I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey."
(Children's Songbook no. 120; words by Bill and Lisa Hansen)

Our Heavenly Father wants us to obey. It is not out of some mortal, earthly sense of pride that He asks us to live certain standards. He asks us to do so because He knows that doing so is what is best for us. Keeping the commandments is how we come to become more like Him. Just as the lyrics describe, we are often tempted to disobey. The Prophet-King Benjamin described our mortal nature like this: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." We have a natural tendency as imperfect beings to lean toward that which is easy. Sin is easy. It takes a conscious decision and a true conviction to obey. Obedience to the commands of God is a matter of deciding that His will is more important than ours. 

Another scripture demonstrates the blessings that come from making that choice to be obedient: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes," (Psalm 19:7-8). Adherence to the commandments of God leads to deeper conversion. It breeds wisdom. It encourages virtue. It brings us joy. 

But we know from experience that making that choice isn't always easy, and even when we make that decision, it is sometimes hard to obey with pure motivations.

David testified of both sides of the discussion, saying, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully," (Psalm 24:3-4). This scripture outlines the concept of obeying and doing so with correct intentions. "Clean hands" refers to our outward observance of the commandments. "A pure heart" refers to our intentions and our inner commitment to our covenants.

So what's the difference? If I obey, whether I do it for the right reasons or not, it should be the same, right?

Wrong. There's a huge difference, and I'll explain why. An experience I had a few years back has helped me to gain a new perspective on the correct motivations involved with obedience to God's commands.

One of the greatest opportunities I was given in my life was that of working at in a Special Education class at an elementary school. For a year I was able to interact with students with varying levels of functionality with autism, and every day I was able to learn from their innocence and their sweet spirits. One particular student I worked with a lot was a 3rd grader named Nathan. He was this tiny ball of pure energy; it took all the energy I had to get him to just sit down and do some work. Those who have worked with children with autism know that they are very dependent on a routine: some can't even function without knowing what's next on the docket for them. You would also know that motivations are crucial for them to focus on completing a given task. One of the routine, daily activities we did was to visit "the Workroom," a room where the students would do brain and motor stimulating activities. In order for most of them to complete their work, they would need their motivation to be clearly defined. Their motivation would be a "re-enforcer," an object personal to the student that would motivate them to finish their task; it was usually a toy, or sometimes candy. At the beginning of a given task, the aide would ask the student, "What is your re-enforcer going to be today?" to which they would say, the Hulk toy, or the Elsa doll, or a Skittle, or whatever it may be.

On one particular day, I entered the Workroom with Nathan and he began working. He seemed to be working just fine, but I asked him that question anyway. "Nathan, what are you working for today?" 

He stopped working, looked up at me, and said something that I will never forget. "Mr. Ethan," he said, "I'm working to make you proud of me."

A tear came to my eye in that moment, and reflection on the moment later helped me to gain a new appreciation for the power of obedience with pure motivation. As I thought about what Nathan said to me, I thought, "What if I could get to the point where I could be obedient only because I wanted to make my Heavenly Father proud of me?" What a perfectly joyous moment it would be to adopt such a motive, and upon returning to His glorious presence hear Him say: "Ethan, you made me proud."
The true difference between just obeying, and obeying with pure intent is the effect it has on us. That is how we become truly converted. That is how we can gain true, eternal joy.

I realize that many have already set goals and resolutions that you will hopefully come to accomplish during the course of this year, but I hope that we can continuously reevaluate our level of obedience. I hope we can also ponder whether our motives truly are pure. If the Father asked us personally, "What are you working obeying for?" I hope we can answer:

"I'm obeying to make you proud of me."