Sometimes people will ask me why, as a teenager, I intentionally chose a strict church with lots of rules. Sometimes people wonder why I still want all those rules. “I don’t want some church telling me what to do,” they say.
I once knew a women, who, when her righteousness was commented on, said, “Obedience is easy for me.” She took no credit for her obedience for that reason, although she certainly should have. However, the thought stayed with me and I’ve often contemplated it, along with why I’m willing to belong to a church with lots of rules.
It really comes down to attitude. First, of course, I don’t consider it a mere church telling me what to do. The instructions come from God. I was told not to take any man’s word for it that these things are from God, and being the somewhat rebellious person I am, I didn’t. I was instructed by the missionaries who taught me to ask God, who, of course, knows what is true and what I should do. I took my initial instructions from God, and that lead to knowing I could trust the “church” to represent God. When in doubt about any particular doctrine or instruction, I again go to God, not man, for a final decision. And so, because I love the source of the law, I am happy to obey.
Nephi, the first writer of the Book of Mormon, and a prophet, helps us to understand how to make obedience easy.
16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. (2 Nephi 4)
Nephi delighted in the commandments and in anything related to God. He spent his life pondering the gospel. It was this attitude that allowed him, even as a teenager, to withstand the abuse of his older brothers, even when the abuse was attempted murder. It was this delight that allowed him to find something deep inside himself that sent him to God for answers when he wondered if things his father taught were true. It was this delight that led him down the path to become a prophet someday.
Keeping the commandments can be a burden or a delight. When we choose to see it as a burden, something that keeps us from doing what we want to do, we spend our lives in misery. However, if we choose to be humble and to bend our will to God’s, life is joyful. We keep our eyes on the reward at the end, and know that any inconveniences that might seem to come from living the gospel will be more than repaid when we return to God. What could we possibly give up on earth that would be better than being with God?
When I teach, I often ask, “Is what you’re getting better than what you’re giving up to get it?” If you are willing to sell your spot in Heaven for a glass of wine, well, that’s a very short-sighted decision. What matters more to you—God, or your alcohol, or cigarettes, or immorality, or whatever keeps you from choosing God’s path instead of your own? Will any of it seem worth it when you stand before God to account for your time on earth?
Delighting in the things of the Lord brings meaning and purpose to life. It’s a choice worth more than any little thing we might have to give up.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
