Musings of the Natural man

O how great is the nothingness of the children of men;
yea, even they are less than
the dust of the earth.
--Helaman 12: 7

I recently read this verse and was struck by its impact on me. How is it that we, who have divine nature and potential, are even less than the dust of the earth? The answer comes from seeing the wickedness that we are prone to engage ourselves in, being overcome by the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19). This is manifest when we willfully act against what we normally would do according to our belief system, and when we willfully reject that which is of most good. Because "all things which are good cometh of God (see Moroni 7:12), " we are also in essence rejecting God when we do wrong.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about why people do things that are not in accordance with their belief systems, and we came to the conclusion that it had to do with many factors, including societal pressures on morality, circumstances within which the person is placed, and within-person variables such as personality and risk factors. As a psychologist, I would like to think that the negative consequences of re-nigging on what one stands for would be enough to make one want to stay true to his or her beliefs, but the world in which we live does not reinforce these actions. We are prone to forget, and somehow the world reinforces the pain that comes from disobedience.

I would like to think that men are motivated to obey the Commandments of God because they love the Lawgiver, but we are often too stiff-necked to adhere to this noblest form of obedience.

And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence,
they will not remember him. --Helaman 12:3

The Great Plan of Happiness, however, supersedes our knack for forgetfulness, by providing us voices of hope in the midst of our afflictions. We come to realize that there is a discernible reason why we feel anguish, even a causal relationship between actions and sorrow. We read in Ether 12:27:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Learning humility is an essential part of the Plan. As we do so, I believe we are given a level of confidence that only comes as we grow in faith that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we may overcome our "natural" tendencies. When we let the Lord take control of our lives, we give up the one thing that is truly ours--our own free will--and gradually move it to the point at which it lines up with God's will for us. This is a lifetime pursuit, and we will always have room to make up; but as we let the Lord in, we gain happiness, and the weak things are made strong for us.

In the Priesthood Session of the October 2010 General Conference, Elder Patrick Kearon taught:

The Savior assures, “If they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.”⁹ You and I can accept His invitation to “return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal [you].”¹⁰ UAdd a Note

Contrast this miraculous healing with what happens “when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride [or] our vain ambition. … The heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved;” and we are left alone “to kick against the pricks … and to fight against God.”¹¹ UAdd a Note

...we find healing and relief only when we bring ourselves to the feet of the Great Physician, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must lay down our weapons of rebellion (and we each know what they are). We must lay down our sin, vanity, and pride. We must give up our desires to follow the world and to be respected and lauded by the world. We must cease fighting against God and instead give our whole hearts to Him, holding nothing back. Then He can heal us. Then He can cleanse us from the venomous sting of sin.

I know that as we turn the the Savior, we may be relieved from this "venomous sting," and thereby gain in true happiness which comes from doing good. We will "put off the natural man," and become strengthened by He who is mighty to save.

Have a great week!