Jesus gives us the power to change

This winter, I have enjoyed hiking Lazy Mountain with my husband, Kerry. The winter snow provides excellent traction. The trail is heavily used, and the views are spectacular. Many people sled their way back down.

One recent afternoon, we started hiking behind two groups. One group was older than us, and one group was younger. Kerry and I assumed we would pass the older group and never catch up to the younger group. However, we soon passed the younger group and never caught up to the older group! The older group were not speedy runners, but they kept a steady pace with no breaks or pauses. The younger group needed to stop and rest frequently. As we met up with the older group after our hike, we found out they belonged to the “geriatric hiking club,” and they hiked this mountain three times a week, year-round. Their achievement was incredible. They had overcome some of the natural declines of aging.

My dad was a science teacher, and he used to teach us about the law of entropy. The law of entropy is the second law of thermodynamics and states that things in this world naturally fall into a state of disorder. Energy has to be added to bring things back into order. Think about your living room, or your recent haircut, both of which will soon be in a state of disorder until you “add energy” by cleaning the living room or getting another haircut. Our hiking experience also illustrates this law: the older hikers should have been slow due to natural physical declines; instead, they were fast. They had reversed the natural declines of aging by adding the “energy” of frequent mountain hikes. As a result, their muscle strength and aerobic capacity surpassed hikers with younger bodies.

What about our souls? Each of us is in a constant state of spiritual decline because of the fall of Adam. Our mortal selves, the “natural man,” is speckled with weakness and error—our natural decline. These human weaknesses separate us from God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” teaches Paul in Romans 3:23 (all references KJV). Who hasn’t been cross with a family member or told a “white lie?” Who doesn’t offend a co-worker or friend without realizing it? And that’s just the beginning. Some of us find ourselves in circumstances in which we have lost step with the commandments.

How do we change? Where do we find the “energy” to improve rather than decline spiritually? If we have made a mistake or struggle with a problem, we sometimes think we have to fix it on our own. But this is not true. Paul answers that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). There is only one way to overcome big sins and little sins. That way is Jesus Christ. His grace and the infinite virtue of his Great Atoning Sacrifice pay the price for our sins as “justification,” and redeems and purifies our souls, as “sanctification.”

“The cleansing gift of repentance allows us to leave our sins behind and emerge a new creature. Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us. They can refine us,” teaches Elder Uchtdorf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 2021. The Apostle Paul teaches, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Through the power granted by Jesus’ infinite atonement, our repentance, and faith in Him reverse the effects of mortality and our own bad choices. We can become better and better, in spite of our natural decline. This “divine energy” needed to change our souls from a state of increasing disarray to increasing holiness comes from Him. We need never be trapped by our sins and shortcomings when Jesus has provided the power and grace for us to change and improve.

“Our spirits long to progress,” President Russell M. Nelson taught. “When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ.”

God will help us. He loves us. His virtue and grace can “add energy” to our fallen state every day, every hour, every minute. May we seek the grace of Jesus Christ and choose to let him light our way.

Beth Wright has lived, worked, and raised her family in the Valley for 30 years. She enjoys hiking, music, and family. She finds joy being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.