At the coming of a New Year there is always the thought of setting goals and making changes in my life. What kind of changes do I need to make and what kind of changes do I want to make? There is a difference between need and want. But either way, I believe change starts and remains true if it begins in the correct place, and there is only one place that will make lasting change. This lasting change must take place at the heart. If I am to change a bad habit, I must have my heart changed and desire the change more than wanting to be the same. How can we have this change of heart so that we can achieve our goals? "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than the study of behavior will improve behavior" (Pres. Boyd K. Packer). Understanding the doctrines of the gospel will and does help us achieve our goals when they are founded upon righteousness. When we have our hearts placed upon Jesus Christ, anything is possible.
Change can be difficult, but it is not impossible. The question is, "...if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now" (Alma 5:26)? Singing the song of redeeming love is a part of all change, it is "being born again". What exactly does it mean to be "born again"? It means: "To have the Spirit of the Lord cause a mighty change in a person's heart so that he [or she] has no more desire to do evil, but rather desires to seek the things of God" (The Guide to the Scriptures). I think President Ezra Taft Benson said it best, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities" (The Great Commandment-Love the Lord).
I know that being "born again" isn't a one time thing. I have to reset and retry things over and over. I believe, that is why God has given us a new day, every day, so that we can keep trying. We keep looking forward and remember that God "has all wisdom, and all power" (Mosiah 4:9). We can "do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]" (Philippians 4:13). Unlike Lot's wife, who looked back (see Genesis 19:26) and longed for the past, we can "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men" (2 Nephi 31:20). When we "press forward with steadfastness in Christ" we are using our faith, we are taking the daily steps needed to make progress that "often occurs gradually, rather than instantaneously or globally" (Elder Cecil O. Samuelson). I often forget that change takes time and get frustrated with myself because I want to be different right now. But that's rarely how it is. We learn more from the process of exercise and eating right than we do from instantaneous weight loss. We learn more from having to practice being patient with others, loving them, forgiving, being kind even when they are not, than we do from instantaneously being "perfect".
Having gone through pregnancy and giving birth to four children you would think I would know that being born takes more than just a day. It is a process. That is why the question, "...can ye feel so now" (Alma 5:26)? We have committed ourselves to Christ, which we do when we are baptized, and we renew those covenants when we partake of the sacrament (read the sacrament prayers here). We can ponder these questions during the sacrament: Am I "stripped of pride" (Alma 5:28)? Am I "... stripped of envy" (Alma 5:29)? Do I "...make a mock of [my] brother, or ...heap upon him persecutions" (Alma 5:30)? Asking ourselves these questions and answering honestly leads us though the process of turning our minds and hearts to God, which is repentance; for we must repent and exercise faith in Christ in order to have this "mighty change of heart" (see Alma 5:14; Born Again). Being born again gives us a better life. "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4).
Change, permanent change starts with the heart. It is powerful and real and leads to a "better world". One that is "always abounding in good works" and we will be "led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4). That's a goal we don't just want, but we all need and is achievable. This I testify.
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