"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22)

The other morning as I was coming back from taking one son to school I noticed a white SUV on the opposite side of the road. It was cold, had snowed the night before, and was icy out. I thought, "What a bummer to be broken down in this weather". I drove home and proceeded to take my youngest son to his school and dropped him off safely. On my return home from doing this, which was about 45 minutes later, I noticed the same car still sitting there on the side of the road. I wasn't headed in that direction, but I wondered if someone was still sitting in the car waiting for help. I drove through the light, but I decided to turn around and just check to make sure someone wasn't still in the car. I flipped a U-turn, headed back to the light, and pulled into traffic. I was able to easily pull in front of the car. There was a woman still sitting in the car. I parked, got out, and walked back to the car. She rolled down her window. I asked if she was okay or if she needed help. She said she was waiting for AAA and it would take them another hour, but she and her daughter were fine. I asked if there was anything I could do and she told me no. She told me she appreciated that I had stopped because no one else had stopped. I told them to take care and I thought to myself, I will pray for them, because sometimes that's all one can do to help.

As I drove down the road and back up again past her to head back home, I was praying for her. The thought came to me how much we are all loved. Christ "suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam" (2 Nephi 9:21). He has suffered for us. His Atonement is "an infinite atonement" (2 Nephi 9:7), it doesn't just help once, it is eternal, "infinite". My brain can't even begin to comprehend infinite. But Christ can, does, and aides us when we call upon His name. (see D&C 100:17; Helaman 3:27; Romans 10:13; Psalms 99:6; 1 Chronicles 16:8). It's interesting that in today's world it is so easy to call others, we have cell phones and other electronic devices and can call anyone pretty much anytime we want, or text them or email them. But to understand what it really means to "call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27) changes our behavior, changes us.

There is this Hymn, Have I Done Any Good? (#223) that asks if we have done anything to help "another on their way". When we decide to call upon Christ and follow Him, James teaches us an important lesson, that it is more than just saying a name. He says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). We have to do more than just say we follow Christ. We actually have to let our actions speak for us. It's interesting as I write this, because I realize how difficult this is at times, to acknowledge that I have done something wrong and make it right isn't easy, but it is important. It is important because it is about our personal growth. Our growth is impeded when we don't make the wrong things right. This might mean that we need to forgive our neighbor who has deeply hurt us and used us, however near or far that neighbor may live (see 3 Nephi 12:44; Matt 5:44). Remember I said it was necessary for our growth, I didn't say it was easy.

The beauty of the plan of God (see Moses 6:62; Alma 24:14; Alma 34:31), is that God knew we would make mistakes, that we would screw up, even after we had committed to following His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore I must say as Jacob, "O the wisdom of God, His mercy and grace! (2 Nephi 9:8); "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape" (2 Nephi 9:10); O how great the plan of our God" (2 Nephi 9:13)!

Just as the sun rises each day, even on cloudy days when we can't see it, we get a new opportunity to try again. This is the same when we "in the sincerity of [our] hearts, call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27), we are sincerely trying to change, to repent, to become a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17) "we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him" (1 John 2:3-4). When we walk the walk and not just talk the talk, but are true Christians, we "love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them who despitefully use [us] and persecute [us]" (3 Nephi 12:44; Matthew 5:44), even when it is the most difficult thing to do. And why do we do this? Because, ultimately, we love Jesus Christ more than we love staying the same in a "carnal and fallen state" and we want to be "born again; yea, born of God" (Mosiah 27:25).

I had to flip a U-turn to get to the woman in the white SUV and she didn't even need any help, but life is like that. We need to make U-turns all the time, correct our course. We need to see that we are "checked as to the pride of [our] hearts, and [begin] to humble [our]selves before God... watching and praying continually, that [we] might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction" (Alma 15:17). Check ourselves, make sure we are driving, walking, talking, living, in the right direction. When we do this "great check" (Alma 15:17) on a daily basis, for it only takes a couple of minutes, just as stopping to see if the woman needed help to only a couple of minutes, then there are great rewards (see Matthew 5:12). After the Lord taught the Sermon on the Mount He said, "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (Matthew 5:12) because He had just taught them how to live, how to walk, how to become as He is, full of love, kind, patient, meek, humble. He taught a higher, a celestial law.

Life can be hard, but it is also full of joy. The prophet Jacob taught, "But, behold, the righteous (note that it is not self-righteous), the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever" (2 Nephi 9:8). We can walk the walk, and talk the talk and sincerely change and be "born again" (John 3:3; Mosiah 27:25) because we have faith in Christ and we desire to truly follow Him. This I testify.

"...Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world..." (Ether 12:4)

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.