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."