Someone pointed out to me that in the last five weeks, three French nationals have spoken at devotional, Bishop Caussé, Brother Delton and myself. My dear friends, if this trend continues, you will need to learn a few key phrases, such as: "Bonjour" (hello), "Merci" (thank you), and "S'il-vous-plaît, où sont les toilettes?" (please, where are the restrooms?).
It is a great honor and equally a remarkable responsibility to address you, the youth of Zion, in this impressive conference center. I have labored in body and spirit to know what I should share with you. Interestingly, what I chose to speak on months ago was the very topic of another recent BYU-Idaho devotional. It is certain that the Lord has a purpose in teaching his children by repetition.
I grew up in a fairly large city in western France. That's where I took driver's ed. The first few times driving alone, I felt considerable trepidation venturing into heavy traffic, especially on narrow streets. On the screen is a restored model of the popular Citroën 2CV, which is the type of car my family owned in those days. I learned to drive swiftly, in order to avoid getting hit, squished, yelled at, or simply to get a parking spot. As you all know, driving in Rexburg, Idaho, is a totally different experience and though I have mellowed out behind the wheel, occasionally old habits return. Such was the case about a year ago when, running late for work, I found myself having to stop for a moment behind a row of cars while the stop light above menaced to turn red one more time. I got a little irked, thought a few bad things about Idaho drivers; I even honked my horn. Eventually, traffic picked up and I made it through the intersection. Then, I realized what the matter was. To my surprise, I saw a man wearing dark glasses crossing the street holding a white cane in front of him and accompanied by a vested dog heeling next to him. "A blind man!" I shamefully whispered to myself. Immediately, my attitude did a 180 and I was overcome with compassion for that man and respect for the other patient drivers. Later, I thought to myself: How is it possible to be irritated and impatient one second and the next, be moved by gratitude and good will?
President David O. McKay told us how. He explained that because of the fall we have a dual nature[1]: "One, related to the earthly or animal life; the other, akin to the Divine."[2] For survival, our animal nature is devoted to our comfort and propels us toward pleasing our physical senses. Conversely, it avoids that which is not pleasurable. Not unlike an untrained puppy that runs through the house chewing on everything that looks like a bone, or not. If left untamed, our hedonistic, earthly nature can lead us to misuse our God-given body by surrendering it to the whims of the flesh. For most humans, the animal nature is the path of least resistance. On the other hand, our divine nature comes from God. As his literal spirit children, our Father in Heaven communicates to us through the divinity within us. I believe our greatest challenge in this life is to protect our bodies and minds from submitting to the earthly in us, thus becoming what the scriptures call the natural man. Note that the challenge is not to eliminate our earthly nature, which is here to stay, but to school and bridle it while developing our divine nature. "The natural man (or woman) is an enemy to God,"[3] because he is carnal and dismisses God's laws in order to satisfy his personal needs; a dangerous proposition with negative consequences both spiritual and physical. However, there is hope for all of us who have surrendered to the natural side. By yielding to light and truth, which is found in the Holy Spirit, we can be changed, putting off that which is natural, and becoming sons and daughters of God. In that process, our bodies and minds are purified and enlightened. They become instruments to create a more beautiful world not only in the physical sense, but also in our relationships with God, others and ourselves. Parley P. Pratt taught, "The gift of the Holy Spirit...expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use."[4]
It's typical to associate the concept of the natural man with major sins such as immorality, substance abuse, attachment to material wealth in any of its forms, or the gross neglect of the poor. Although identifying with the natural side can lead to serious transgressions, it does not always, at least not at first. After all, it does not appear too grievous to treat others unkindly once in a while, or is it? Without efforts on our part and with the unequivocal support the adversary gives him, the natural man in us will develop and eventually disable us as to righteousness. Wrote Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Unless the natural man is put off, he will finally put us down."[5]
Let me give you a few examples of how our natural tendencies contribute to our daily misery. Going back to my story of being late for work. That morning, I was driving under the influence, not of alcohol, but of the impure desire of wanting to get ahead with little concern for the drivers in front of or behind me. The natural woman is only worried about herself. And with hindsight, those thoughts and feelings made me tense and tired before I even got to work!
Vulnerable teenagers and young adults easily fall prey to comparing themselves negatively to peers, seemingly perfect friends on social media, or the "ideal" as dictated by societal pressures. They may demonstrate intolerance of themselves, harsh criticism, and extreme perfectionism. The natural man who likes approval and fears the judgment of others, will put himself down if he doesn't comply with expectations. Utter discouragement may also creep in. Giving up on oneself comes easily to the natural man6 who does not see one's potential, and does not know how to give love and aid in times of disquietude. In stressful situations, all that he wants is to retaliate or run away.
Let's watch together a clip from Mormon Messages featuring a moment in the life of a congenial fellow who happens to be a father, an employee and an amateur actor in his free time. Let's see if you can quickly pick up on this man's natural habits.
What was Mike's automatic reply every time someone asked for accountability? "It's not my fault!" The natural man does not take responsibility, seeking first his personal gratification. Imagine what would happen if Mike never changed? By and by, his relationships at work, at home, and at play would deteriorate to the point of compromising his employment and the respect of others, especially his family. By the way, Mike did turn around and you can find out how by viewing the complete message online.
Indeed:
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.[6]
Who is this powerful being we call Christ? In Doctrine and Covenants 45, the Lord solemnly declared who He is and what He does:
For verily I say unto you that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the light and the life of the world-a light that shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not. I came unto my own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.[7]
Speaking of our Lord's Atonement, Elder Kim B. Clark declared from this very pulpit: "There is no sin, no guilt, no shame, no fear, no loneliness, no heartache, no loss, no depression, no sadness, no terror, no pain, no challenge, no weakness that Jesus has not experienced and overcome. He has all power over all things."[8]
What do you think? Can Christ the Lord be trusted? Do you think He knows how to assist you in putting off your sins, imperfections, and other natural delusions? I testify that He is completely trustworthy. He has proven His loyalty to me time and time again. I testify that His love, devotion and power are unfailing.
I think "put off" is an interesting and noteworthy choice of words. King Benjamin did not say to kill, blow up, trash, burn or any other brutal directive which would give a whole new tone to his admonition. To the woman taken in adultery who the scribes and Pharisees were about to stone to death, Jesus said firmly and lovingly, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."[9]
Many years ago, when I was still in college, I started hanging out with the wrong friends and mimicking some of their behaviors, which could have taken me out of the safety zone of my baptismal covenants. One day, as I was saying goodbye to my friends, there came to my mind words that were spoken to me, and although they weren't audible they were as clear as if they had been. The tone was stern, kind, without condemnation and had a protective intent to it. It was the Spirit of the Lord, which said, addressing me: "This is not your place," meaning the path my friends had invited me to take. That was all. I followed that counsel and saved myself a lot of trouble.
The Lord understands us. He experienced the dual nature himself although His beautiful divine spirit prevailed. However, through manipulative maneuvers, Satan attacked the Lord with temptations of the flesh and the mind when Jesus was hungry and tired. Although it is hard to know exactly how much He suffered from those evil acts of aggression toward Him, the scripture testifies that He endured them throughout His ministry.[10] Not long before His death, He said the following to His apostles: "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations."[11] And Paul confirmed that He "...was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."[12] Jesus has perfect empathy for us, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion toward the children of men.[13]
If the Lord has compassion for us, whom He died for, sacrificing all because of His love for us, shouldn't we have compassion toward ourselves for being human? If your young child who fears doctors, bursts into tears at the sight of the needle when getting his immunization shots, you and the nurse don't yell at him or call him names, do you? No! As a parent, you provide reassurance and seek to know what you can do to alleviate your child's anxiety while the nurse adds clear instructions and follows protocol. Likewise, we have been given a clear way to bring us back from breaking God's law. That pathway is repentance. But let's not neglect the need for understanding and kindness toward ourselves.[14] I encourage you to exert patience and compassion for yourselves when facing your imperfections. This is especially important when struggles are complex, multi-facetted, and involving more than one player. Many of my students get exasperated and angry at themselves for being less virtuous than they had hoped. This attitude is comparable to pouring pickle juice on a finger paper cut, or fanning blazing flames.[15] The natural man cannot be put off with more of his own foibles. Only light overcomes darkness. Be kind with yourself, seek to understand, without judging, what the trouble is. Repent if you need to, and then, strive to do better.
Concretely, how can we put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ? What may that process look like?
First and foremost, we must recognize we have become natural in some facet of our lives. It is easier said than done as the natural man himself is a self-deception, meaning we feel justified being in our natural man state. Our complaints appear legitimate to us. Let me introduce a recently married couple, Chuck and Savannah, to you. This couple does not exist, but is a composite of dozens of young people who seek help with their relationships. Savannah is often angry at her husband and holds him responsible for hurting her feelings. From her vantage point, it seems completely reasonable to blame him for her unhappiness. In response, she typically shuts him out. Then, Chuck too gets annoyed and openly puts the blame back on Savannah for making his life difficult. "Could this be the dark side of marriage no one warned us about?" They both wondered. In a sense, yes, because at that point, their marriage was dominated by two young and strong egos jousting, colliding and colluding with each other. A pattern of relationship defeat constitutes blatant signals that the natural man is in charge, and charging onto the battlefield. With help and humble prayer, Chuck and Savannah began looking inside themselves, something that is unnatural to the reactionary natural man. To their surprise, they each realized their animosity and hostility were only reflections of their own unresolved issues, unmet needs, and personal buried insecurities. They immediately began working on what was amiss in them and needed healing. Eventually, realizing their own and each other's humanness, their blaming stopped all together. Forgiveness budded, then blossomed and so did their love for one another. When you look inside yourself, do so with curiosity, humility, and an open mind; invite the Lord to accompany you in your reflection. Then, watch how darkness dissipates as the light of your humble gaze shines upon it.
If you suspect some aspect of you may have been hijacked by your natural self, but you are perplexed as to the source of your problem, you can ask your Father in Heaven for the gift of discernment that you may know where to look. In a talk, entitled "What Lack I Yet?"[16] Elder Larry R. Lawrence encouraged us to ask the Lord in prayer that He may reveal to us the things we do that impede our progression. A young person who never seemed to be the right man for any of the women he dated, humbly approached the Lord and asked what he might do differently. The Lord told the young man to clean up his language.[16] Said Elder Lawrence, "The Holy Ghost really does give customized counsel. He is a completely honest companion and will tell us things that no one else knows or has the courage to say."16 You may think those little behavioral changes are too simple to address your major life's burdens, but Elder Lawrence continues, "The Holy Ghost doesn't tell us to improve everything at once. If He did, we would become discouraged and give up. The Spirit works with us at our own speed, one step at a time."[16] As the young adult in that story heeded the inspired advice, his life improved. Little changes can produce larger ones.
The story does not say exactly how answers come. The Holy Ghost inspires us in multiple sorts of ways, tailored to our circumstances, temperaments, and stages of development. Answers can come by direct revelation during prayer or through priesthood blessings, but most often, they come through seemingly mundane means such as a scripture that stands out during morning study, a conversation with a friend or a teacher, a particularly potent therapy session, a flash of memory, a trial, some ironic set of circumstances, someone's loving support, or a calling. Answers can come suddenly, over time, or one step at a time.[17] Whichever shape they take, the same business card is left at our door. One that reads the following penetrating words: "It is I. I love you."[18] With time, our ability to distinguish divine intervention increases. We are also able to recognize another precious blessing. That of knowing God answers prayers through the Holy Ghost and that the gospel works in the details of our lives.
Actually, we can ask for any specific gift of the spirit that we might need in order to progress. For example, the gifts of patience, fortitude, hope, or peace. One of my close friends confided in me about feelings of envy she had harbored for several years toward a member of her own family. Eventually, she prayed with all the sincerity of her soul for the gift of charity. Diligently, she turned to God whenever the dreaded feelings would rise in her, and she purposefully stopped talking negatively about her relative to others. Although it took many steps spread over at least half a year, she eventually said to me, "I love my family member and no longer envy that person." What a victory over the flesh! She shared with me how grateful she felt for the Savior and his marvelous influence in her life. As she put forth her own efforts, climbed over the adversary's snares of discouragement along the way, the Lord orchestrated all the rest and He endowed her with power. You and Christ are made to be a team. Jesus Christ is The Comforter. Comforter comes from two Latin words: "com," which means with or together, and "fortis," which means strong. In other words, with Him we are strong.[19] To His covenant children, Christ says "...I will show unto you my strong reasoning...let me show unto you even my wisdom."[20] As you try your best and ask for His power to enable you, your very nature eventually changes. Furthermore, your testimony of Him expands. Your trust that together-with Him-you can do whatever is expedient for you to accomplish becomes rock solid.
The natural man's imaginations can be deeply rooted in the psyche because they stem from physical and tangible earthly experiences that leave neurological marks on the brain. Consequently, it may be quite a challenge to put off negative habits of the mind and of the body. For example, someone may understand the need to forgive a friend that offended them, but has not been able to do so, in spite of significant exertion and notable decrease in their overall sense of wellbeing. A few months ago, as I was pondering one of my student's seemingly intractable natural man's beliefs and habits and wondering how such a young person could overcome his predicament, I was directed to a website where I heard the kind voice of President Henry B. Eyring, declare: "Moroni, the son of Mormon in the Book of Mormon, told us how. He teaches the simple and sweet truth that acting on even a twig of faith allows God to grow it. That particle of faith most precious, and which you should protect and use to whatever extent you can, is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."[21] My heart was relieved as I was reminded that the combination of age and experience is not a prerequisite for beginning to overcome challenges. You can start exercising faith at any age and in any circumstance. If you don't have much faith, then start with the desire to have faith. By and by, day by day, He will lead you to the right people and the right tools that are necessary for you to overcome or come to terms with your problem. Because this process takes time, be patient and keep at it.
As we earnestly work on putting off the natural man the Lord's way, which is to enlist his divine assistance, something extraordinary and wonderful happens. We begin to know first-hand that He lives, and that He knows, understands, and loves us individually. What a precious gift that is! Furthermore, as we begin to walk with Him and receive a remission of our sins and transgressions no matter how small they are, peace fills our hearts. The Savior said: "Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."[22] Our desire to follow Him begins to swell within. We become more fervent in our willingness to keep all of His commandments, more able to be taught from above and from those who have wisdom and truth where ever it may be found. We become sponges to all that is praiseworthy and certainly, above all, we become more loving and charitable toward our fellowmen.
I have a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know He is the Holy Messiah, the Redeemer of the World. My testimony started modest, as expected. With the years, it has grown by leaps and bounds. From personal experience, I know that He makes us clean again when we repent of our sins. I also know that He runs to our rescue as if we were the only one in the world, when, due to our earthly nature and/or someone else's sins and transgressions, we have become lost, confused and broken but seek to be healed and made whole by Him and through Him. I testify that He is real. He is powerful. He loves us. My desire for you is that you may discover for yourselves the impact of His love and power in your life in small and weighty matters. May your trust in Him flourish as the years go by. I pray that all of us may continue to strive to put off the natural man and, through His grace, become sons and daughters of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] "The Fullness of the Gospel: Putting off the Natural Man," Ensign, July 2006, 56
[2] David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, 1953, 347
[3] Mosiah 3:19.
[4] Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 1874, 101
[5] Neil A. Maxwell, Lord, Increase Our Faith, 1984, 6
[6] Neil A. Maxwell, "Brightness of Hope," Ensign, November 1994, 36
[7] Doctrine and Covenants 45:7-8
[8] Kim B. Clark, "The Redeeming and Strengthening Power of the Savior's Atonement," Ensign, April 2016, 51
[9] John 8:10-11
[10] James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 1983, 127
[11] Luke 22:28
[12] Hebrews 4:15
[13] Mosiah15:9
[14] Mary O' Malley, The Gift of Our Compulsions, 2004, 233-235. Mary O'Malley teaches how to compassionately approach and work with personal weaknesses. Her book is replete with practical exercises.
[15] Pema Chödrön, How to Meditate With Pema Chödrön, Sounds True 2008, CD. Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun and a talented author and presenter. She writes and speaks on the subject of overcoming common negative emotions and habits through the practice of mindfulness and meditation
[16] Larry R. Lawrence, "What Lack I Yet?" Ensign, November 2015, 33
[17] https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-012-patterns-of-light-spirit-of-revelation?lang=eng
[18] Matthew 14:27
[19] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "On the Wings of Eagles." Ensign, July 2006, 10
[20] Doctrine and Covenants 45: 10-11
[21] http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-003-mountains-to-climb?lang=en
[22] Doctrine and Covenants 19:23