Transformational Discipleship

I remember when I was a teenager, a friend of mine bought a snack from the school’s vending machine and the wrapper got caught on the tail end of the rotating ring. In frustration, we banged on the machine and even tried shaking it over and over trying to get it to drop the item. Defeated, we bought the same item again expecting it to push the other item out. Instead of dropping the two items, the two items were now stuck by the same rotating ring’s tail. We were dumbfounded and laughed this time out of disbelief. Reluctantly, we decided to dump more money into the machine hoping that a third attempt would release the items, to our elation all three items were dropped, and we exchanged high fives! 

Transactional vs. Transformational

We live in a transactional society where we frequently expect something in return and, in many cases, we expect it immediately. Whether we are making purchases with same-day delivery, interacting with others on social media, consuming sports and other media, or maintaining streaks on apps or video games.

Yet, how many of us practice religion like a vending machine where we put in something and expect a proper payout immediately? What is our response when we don’t get the spiritual payout? Do we get angry like my friends and I did with the machine kicking and shaking it when the “owed” spiritual blessings don’t appear? Do we neglect or discount other spiritual confirmations and blessings we have received? Do we do the things we do to get points, or do we do it because we love Him?

Unfortunately, not receiving answers immediately may be very difficult for many of us and the reason why my family and others I love have left the church. Regardless, we learn from Jesus in Luke 21:19 that “in [our] patience possess [we our] souls.” Furthermore, Paul states in Romans 15:4 that “…we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” In fact, our growth is dependent not on the daily transactions but the daily transformations we have in our lives.

Now, we need to also be cautious to not give ourselves credit for the transformations we experience in our lives. The Nephites were truly transformed after Christ visited them in ancient America but many years later, they “began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ (4 Nephi 1:26).”

In D. Todd Christofferson’s October 2020 general conference address, he states, “Trusting in the arm of flesh is to ignore the divine Author of human rights and human dignity and to give highest priority to riches, power, and the praise of the world (while often mocking and persecuting those who follow a different standard). Reliance on culture and tradition alone will not be sufficient to sustain virtue in society. When one has no higher god than himself and seeks no greater good than satisfying his own appetites and preferences, the effects will be manifest in due course.”

Religion as a Light or Heavy Burden

If we view the gospel as transactional, we may often feel it is a heavy burden and may be reason we see “some who were raised in faith and belief step off the covenant path.” As we know and Elder Cook emphasized in his recent conference address, “Bad things happen to good people on this mortal journey” and as consequence “many will succumb to an ‘eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die’ approach. Other nonbelievers retreat to somber enclaves of like-minded participants who advocate for the next ‘new thing’ and philosophies of men. They know not where to find the truth.”

On May 23, 2023, W. Justin Dyer gave the BYU Devotional address where, he emphasized the difference between seeing religion as a light burden vs. a heavy burden. He starts by saying that “…some experiences we have seem to suggest that religious burdens are, at times, crushing rather than enabling.” Nevertheless, he continues to illustrate several points when religion seems a heavy burden to us:

1. We are religious simply to avoid something bad.
2. We don’t want to disappoint someone (family, friends, teachers, etc.).
3. We want to avoid criticism and shame.
4. We feel it is wrong to experience doubts.
5. We see God as cruel, impersonal, apathetic.
6. We feel we must live it perfectly.

Brother Dyer during his devotional address states, “The burden is light when we see religion as transformational, thinking of our religious acts as helping us little by little, line by line, to become more like the Savior.” So how do we let the gospel transform us? Brother Dyer discusses several points that can lead to this transformation:

1. We value religion regardless of any outcome.
2. We see it as important to us and as part of our identity.
3. We love the opportunities religion gives us to lift others.
4. We see doubts as opportunities for growth.
5. We see God as compassionate, personal, or sympathetic.
6. We feel we need to live religion patiently.

Furthermore, Elder Alan T. Phillips in this last conference states, “Are we passively attending church or actively creating communities whose purpose is to worship, remember Christ, and minister to one another? We can heed President Nelson’s counsel to judge less, love more, and extend the pure love of Jesus Christ through our words and actions.”

When reviewing these points, a key commonality I noticed is whether our actions are externally focused or internally focused. A key aspect of research I do as a professor is understanding what motivates individuals to comply with cybersecurity policies. In our research we frequently look at the difference between intrinsic (internal) vs. extrinsic (external) motivation. These motivations are defined as follows: “External motivation refers to the incentives, rewards, or recognition that come from external sources, such as an employer, teacher, or friend. Examples of external motivation include money, prizes, and encouragement [and I would add blessings]. Internal motivation arises from within the individual and is driven by personal satisfaction or desire. Examples of internal motivation include ambition and drive (Zippia).”

A key takeaway is that internal motivation is more sustainable in the long run. External motivation often fades when the incentives or rewards are no longer present. To be transformed, we need to start the fire within us instead of relying on what we get out of it.

We learn in scriptures that those who seek signs (or are externally focused) will not find them or they will not be pleasant; however, those who live the gospel (or are internally focused) tend to have signs follow them. In 2 Nephi 27, the learned want to see the book despite having the words of the book. Are we like the learned, where we discredit the words of the book because we don’t have the book. Brother Dyers continues his devotional address talking about his research and several signs that follow the believers:

“Research on religion and mental health goes back 120 years. And the evidence amassed since then is rather clear: attending religious services and engaging in other religious and spiritual practices are, on average, related to better mental health. They are related to more volunteering in the community and, in general, better physical health. They are also related to greater family happiness, better parenting, and lower likelihood of divorce, particularly when family relationships are seen as divine and connected to God. A global study also found that men who are more religious do more housework—something not bad to consider when choosing a spouse. The reality is that research on the whole shows that religious people are better off across nearly every conceivable domain. And this seems to be more than just correlation: Berkeley researchers have concluded that the accumulated evidence makes a compelling case for a causal link between religious and spiritual practices and good mental health. You are probably aware that mental-health problems have soared in the last few years while religious and spiritual practices have plummeted. What about research specifically on Latter-day Saints? My colleagues and I recently conducted a review of every study on Latter-day Saint mental health published in the last 20 years. It probably won’t surprise you that Latter-day Saints tend to be a highly religious group, engaging more in their religion than almost any other group. And that seems to translate into good things. Although this research area is still new, studies generally find that Latter-day Saints’ mental health is just as good as and often better than the mental health of those of other religions or of no religion.”

Despite any evidence we have through research, we still may encounter naysayers, or we might discredit this evidence ourselves. God “works not among the children of men save it be according to [our] faith (2 Nephi 27:23);” therefore, “…when we are looking at this research, it is important to know we are not proving whether the gospel is true. That comes from a witness of the Holy Spirit.” Additionally, if we don’t believe the book, we should strive to believe the words, but as Nephi says, “if ye believe not in these words [at a minimum] believe in Christ (2 Nephi 33:10).”

Through the Holy Ghost and a belief in Christ we can experience God’s true and infinitely loving nature. 

God’s Loving Grace

When I was growing up, my mom would frequently say, “If it is too good to be true, it probably is.” In my life I live by this motto. Recently, I have realized this motto, while generally true, doesn’t apply to all situations.

In 2 Nephi 25:16, we learn that God often scatters and scourges us (especially the prideful) to persuade us to “believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind” only to restore us and perform “a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.”

This marvelous work is the gospel and a key aspect of it is God’s grace! In 2 Nephi 25:23, we read “…for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” When the Book of Mormon was first translated, it lacked punctuation and the verses as we see today. If we remove the comma after the word “saved,” this verse has completely different meaning. Something more like “regardless of what we do, we are saved by grace.” Ultimately, Christ’s love and atonement saves us all. As we learn in Alma 7, because of Christ we are saved from sicknesses, we are saved from infirmities, we are saved from death, and we are saved from sin. In fact, God’s loving grace is a prime example where “if it is too good to be true, it is NOT too good to be true.”

The invitation is extended in Hebrews 4:16 to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” and 5:9 that Christ is “the author of [our] eternal salvation.” Elder Cook states, “The scriptures are clear: peaceable followers of Christ who are righteous, follow the Savior, and keep His commandments will be blessed.” I argue that we will be blessed through our internal transformation not necessarily any tangible blessings which may or may not follow. In fact, Elder Cook continues, “A loving Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head of His restored Church, have provided us scriptures and prophets to prepare us, warn us about dangers, and give us guidance to prepare and protect us. Some directions require immediate action, and some provide protection for many years in the future.” Regardless of whether we see the physical manifestations of blessings, we can rest well knowing that we are transformed through Christ.

Elder Alan T. Phillips in this last conference states, “Your life has meaning and purpose. The ongoing Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings light and understanding regarding your divine identity. You are a beloved child of Heavenly Father. You are the subject matter of all those parables and teachings. God loves you so much that He sent His Son to heal, rescue, and redeem you…Make no mistake: Christ is our rescuer and the healer of our souls. To anyone burdened, lost, confused: You do not have to do this alone. Through the Atonement of Christ and His ordinances, you can be yoked or bound to Him. He will lovingly provide the strength and healing you need to face the journey ahead. He is the refuge from our storms still.”

In 2005, President Nelson engaged in a Q&A during a church news magazine interview, then Elder Nelson said, “You come unto Christ to be yoked with Him and with His power, so that you’re not pulling life’s load alone. You’re pulling life’s load yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world.” Christ literally shares our load like the pairing of two oxen pulling a wagon. Furthermore, President Nelson’s invited us in his 2019 April conference address to ask “if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.”

Therefore, let’s do as we learn in D&C 1, ““Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come.”

By focusing on the internal blessings of the gospel and how it transforms us, I know the burden of living the gospel will be light and we will experience God’s loving grace.

Citations come from the following talks aside from the scriptures:

• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/44cook?lang=eng
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/sustainable-societies?lang=eng
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/27phillips?lang=eng
• https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/w-justin-dyer/choosing-christs-light-burden/
• https://www.zippia.com/answers/external-vs-internal-motivation/