Changing Nature

Nature: 1) basic quality of a thing. 2) inborn character. 3) kind; sort.

These are the first three definitions of the word "nature" in our little dictionary we have at our apartment. I've been thinking a lot about my nature lately. What is it?

My nature is me. It's who I am. It's not what I say or what I do. It's not who I want to be. It's the "inborn character" inside me. It's my talents and strengths, but it's also my weaknesses and flaws. It's deeply ingrained, and it's not easily changed. Which leads me to my second question:

How do I change it?

One of the most powerful speeches ever given was spoken from the top of a tower by Book of Mormon prophet, King Benjamin. Part of his sermon is one of the most famous and most quoted verses in the Book of Mormon:

"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).

Human nature isn't always bad. It's often very good. It's good to be good-natured :) But I'm not talking about that right now. I'm talking about the natural responses and qualities in me that are selfish, crude, covetous, and carnal in nature. The weaknesses of man that are in each of us. Things that are ungodly. Things that need to change.

It's hard to change a nature! I don't know if you've ever tried it, but I've been trying and it is HARD. You can't just decide to change your nature. You can't even just start doing things differently and hope eventually it'll become a part of who you are. So how do we do it?!

In another Book of Mormon story, King Lamoni's father asks this very question: "...What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy" (Alma 22:15)

I invite you to watch this video, and listen for the answer in the words of the living prophets:

 

 

 

The Atonement. Repenting, and aligning our will with His. That's the answer. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to literally change us into "new creatures" (Mosiah 27:26). The Atonement has the power to change our nature. It does not happen overnight and it is not easy. There will be setbacks along the way. But it can be done. When we rely on Christ's Atonement, we can become the person that we want to be, which is the person that God wants us to be. That's what King Benjamin taught in Mosiah 3:19. After his sermon, this was the response of his people:

 

"And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou has spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).

 

Their natures had been changed.

 

I believe the Atonement of Jesus Christ can change a person's nature. That's a big thing to do. My nature is so deeply ingrained in me that it's literally who I am. My nature is what I do without even thinking about it. My nature makes me do things even when I don't want to do them. My nature is a force to be reckoned with. It's a beast that does not want to leave, change, or be moved. But I believe the Atonement is stronger. The Atonement can win out. So that is now what I have set out to do: To, through the Atonement, change my nature.

 



Before You Snap

The other day I was studying Preach My Gospel, the manual that the church leaders have given us to help us become better missionaries. It's an incredible, inspired book. One of my favorite chapters in Preach My Gospel is chapter 6, which is on Christlike attributes. It has a section on faith, hope, charity and love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence, and obedience. At the end of the chapter, it has this "Attribute Activity." It's a series of statements, and you then rate yourself on how true that statement is of you. It's a great way to evaluate yourself and to see where you can improve. I love it. Here's a link to that activity:

http://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-develop-christlike-attributes?lang=eng

(scroll to the bottom of the page, and choose "click to view larger")

So, I did this activity last week. Coming in LAST place by a long-shot was....wait for it ladies and gentlemen.... the Christlike attribute of PATIENCE. So that is what has been on my mind as of late.

As I've thought about patience, I've thought about it in two different categories. Patience with others, and patience with myself. Both of which I know I need to work on.

I think patience with others is the obvious one. When I hear "patience," that's what I think of first: being patient with those around me. The first thoughts that come to mind are "Okay, don't yell at the cars on the road, don't get frustrated when people don't call back right away, etc." Little moments of impatience like these can build up. Before you know it, you're like one of those big ol' tree branches under pressure, ready to snap at any moment. I've seen that with myself. And nobody likes it when you snap...

So as I've tried to improve, I've been a lot more aware of my own moments of ignorance, stupidity, or obliviousness. I recognize that sometimes--believe it or not--other people have to be patient with ME. Recognizing and remembering that has made a huge difference. It's caused me to hesitate before losing my patience with others. I've started giving people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they're having a hard day, or perhaps they simply didn't see me. As I've done this, I've found that I am so much happier. I know there's a correlation between being patient with others and the level of peace and happiness we feel each day. So give it a try! Choose to be patient with people.

The kind of patience that was a little less obvious to me was patience with myself. One of the statements in this activity was "I am patient with myself and rely on the Lord as I work to overcome my weaknesses." When I read that, I realized that it definitely wasn't true of me. When I do realize I'm weak in some area or that I've slipped up and made a mistake, I get upset with myself. I furrow my brow and think about how bad I messed up and I tell myself "You had better not do that again, or else!"

We all know that nobody is perfect. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) But do we really believe that about ourselves? I don't think I did. I thought "Yeah, yeah nobody's perfect, but I shouldn't be making so many mistakes." I didn't realize it, but I was expecting perfection out of myself. I wasn't being patient with myself at all.

So I've since tried to have more patience with myself. Just like I had to hesitate before I snapped at others, I had to do the same with myself. When I mess up, I have tried to think constructively rather than destructively. I've realized it doesn't help at all to get mad at myself when I'm not perfect. Sometimes I feel like I have to; It's like I have to say to the Lord, "Hey, I'm not happy about this either!" But that's not the case. We must be patient with ourselves. Obviously we don't excuse our sins, but rather we repent, make a commitment to do better next time, and do all that with a smile on our face! I know this works. My whole mindset has changed as I've tried this. I'm so much happier :)

So there you have it. Patience. I've been so blessed as I've tried to develop this attribute, and I plan to keep working on it. I would encourage you to try it too! Hesitate before you snap. Choose to be patient.