If you made no decisions by yourself and simply did what someone else told you to do, would that fulfill God’s plan for you? Would you learn what you were meant to learn?
I think the answer is no.
I think God wants us to exercise our agency and learn by experience. This means we must allow ourselves to FEEL, and be connected to our bodies.
“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors.” I think this means “true doctrine, EXPERIENCED, changes attitudes and behaviors.” And changing attitudes and behaviors by experiencing true doctrine, brings us closer to God. This is repentance.
Listen in to this episode to experience what I mean. 🙂
Full Show Notes:
I’m hoping that no matter what your current trial, this episode will give you understanding and hope.
Boyd K Packer quote: (Nov. 1986)
“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.”
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. … That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel”
Understood! True doctrine understood!! I don’t think this means logically understood. I think this means EXPERIENCED.
- Story: Not too long ago, during our family scripture study, we were talking about whether or not one would qualify for the celestial kingdom if they made all the “right” choices, but out of 100% obedience, not choosing for themselves. I think the answer is no.
- We often say this life is to learn and grow, but it may be more appropriate to say this life is for experiences so that we will choose the Lord.
- Going back to Adam and Eve- when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, the Lord tells them that they will learn by their own experience. Genesis 2:16-17 and Moses 3:16-17
- In the temple, we learn that Eve tells Adam, “It is better for us to pass through sorrow that we may learn the good from the evil.”
- Sorrow = the uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good, or of frustrated hopes of good, or expected loss of happiness.
- Pass = to change states, to suffer, a step, to extend, to alter or change, to be changed
- passing through an emotion, or allowing an emotion to pass through us
Jill Bolte Taylor, Whole Brained Living book quote. pg 47 give a background first
- She’s a neuroanatomist.
- She had a stroke and experienced parts of her brain shutting down.
- In her book, she has identified 4 “characters” 2 from each hemisphere. In this section she is referring to Character 1, which is usually judgemental, concerned with time, linear, serial thinking, controlling, decision making part of our brain
- Quote second paragraph
If we are all balls of energy, blending fluidly with the rest of the universe when we are outside our bodies, how would we exercise our agency? How would we experience emotion? We wouldn’t. This illustration gives new meaning to the idea of needing bodies!
I think understanding in this sense, experiencing, requires us to have a body and requires us to have emotion.
We could restate Boyd K Packer’s quote as “True doctrine, felt, changes attitudes and behaviors.”
- This is why FEELING is so important.
- Feeling the Spirit.
- Testimony
D&C 122:7-9 Joseph Smith is told his trials would give him experience- art thou greater than he?
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, felt it all. Art thou greater than he?
If this episode made you think about yourself or others in a new way, would you please give it a rating and a review (I think you must do that on your smartphone? And if you want to truly do the work of being the best you at what you do, schedule a free session with me. Until next time, go be you and follow the Spirit.
Denita
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