Change: The Difficult Possiblity

Change is often thought of as scary, too difficult, and something we would hope others would do, but is not necessary for ourselves. It is difficult to make changes in our lives. Most of us humans fear change. It becomes easy and comfortable to tell ourselves that change is unnecessary and we are happy or, at least happy enough, just as things are. We also convince ourselves, because God loves us no matter what and knows all our struggles, temptations, and weaknesses, that He does not expect us to change. God does know us and love us. However, the idea that He does not expect us to change could not be further from the truth.

He sent us here to this imperfect, mortal world so we could become like Him and inherit all that He has. He knew we would suffer temptations of all kind. This does not mean that God made us this way, but these are just some of the challenges that come with being mortal. People suffer different temptations. Some struggle with substance addictions. Some struggle with strong sexual desires. Some struggle with a love of money and power. Some struggle with attraction to those of the same gender. I cannot list all the divers ways that we are tempted here on earth, Satan knows us well and knows how to tempt us and try us according to our weaknesses. God knew this to be true and knew that we would need help in order to accomplish His desire for us, His children, to return and live with Him again. He presented us with a plan in which we would come to earth and suffer pain, sickness, sorrow, death, and temptations. God, our loving Father, knew we would fall into temptation and make mistakes, but he prepared a way for us to repent, to overcome the sins which so easily doth beset us (Hebrews 12:1) and overcome physical death, mortality.

The way was His Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen” (2 Nephi 31:21). God loved us so He sent His Son that we might overcome our weaknesses and be perfected in Christ, through faith in Him, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then enduring to the end (2 Nephi 31:13-20). Change is difficult, but through Christ's Atoning sacrifice we can become changed, new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Mosiah 27:26).

What does God expect of us? He expects that we will not set at naught the Great and last, eternal sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son (Alma 34:10, 13-14), but that we will put off the natural man who is an enemy to God and become changed, obedient to God's commandments. “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” (Mosiah 3”19).

Oh what a glorious thought, that our loving God would send us a way to become better, become like Him and change all the things that keep us from enjoying peace and happiness. I love my Father in Heaven. I love and am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice that makes change possible. I know that God, our Eternal Father, has provided the way for us to become all that He desires us to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.