REXBURG — No one likes to change. However, change is necessary and even critical to growth in life. That was the message from today’s BYU-Idaho devotional.
Roger Nichols is the UX and Web Development Manager at the university and today’s devotional speaker. He began his address titled, “Embracing Change,” by acknowledging that students are in the midst of a “decade of decisions.” Although this time of life is referred to with this moniker, that does not mean that change stops after this period of time is over.
“You can find a nice place to settle down and all the crazy changes in life will stop. But they won’t. They may slow down, but changes in your life and your personal progression won’t stop after graduation,” he said.
Nichols cited a quote from Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The quote comes from an Ensign College devotional earlier this year, as the foundation for his devotional address. Elder Bednar taught:
“The essence of our mortal experience is to not remain the same… The restoration of the Gospel teaches us our eternal purpose and destiny and you don’t achieve that destiny by just hunkering down and staying the same. The natural man and the natural woman hate change. The man and woman of Christ learn to love change and the lessons that are learned in the process. … one of the fundamental aspects of overcoming the natural man and the natural woman is not resisting change but embracing change and learning from it.”
Nichols highlighted the different kinds of change that humans experience. He divided these changes into four categories: big changes, small changes, changes out of one’s control and changes that one can control. He taught that these types of changes often come in different combinations. He focused on two types of change during his talk — the big things that we don’t have control over and the small things that we do have control over.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Nichols said that change is the lifeblood of this mortal experience. He said this is the mindset one must have.
“I'm here to change,” Nichols said. “That's why I'm here. I'm not here to just have a good experience. I'm here to actually let it change me into a better person.”
In his devotional Nichols does not shy away from the fact that change is difficult and uncomfortable, sharing a moment from his life when he came to know this for himself.
Several years ago, Nichols became restless in his professional and spiritual life. In doing something about it, Nichols decided he needed to go back to school to get a master’s degree. He hoped this would open up new opportunities in his career and allow him to be a better instrument in the hands of the Lord.
At first, it did just that, but as his good habits fell away, pride crept in. He began to look for opportunities to advance his career rather than chances to help in the Lord’s work. As he interviewed for different jobs, Nichols found it increasingly difficult to find work. It was only when he followed the prompting of the Holy Ghost, making the big and small changes God needed him to make, that he was blessed with exactly what he needed.
For those who may be in a difficult season of change in their life, Nichols offers these words of encouragement.
“Despite all the changes in your life you can find assurance in the eternal truths of the gospel, which never change,” Nichols said. “Truths that no matter what or how you change God’s love for you won’t change. That his plan is for you. As part of that plan, He sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be your Savior, and that through His atonement you can gain exaltation.”
Nichols taught that joy comes from accepting the will of Heavenly Father, concluding his devotional with the invitation to seek the strength of Jesus Christ in overcoming the natural man and woman, working to allow God to change them.