The Natural Man

Mosiah 3:19

  "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

 

I thought of this scripture this week as I was reading in Matthew 10:39. Christ said, "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

I was thinking how this scripture goes against the natural man. As men and women, our instinct is to be concerned about our own well being. We care about others and like to see others find happiness, but our primary concern is...well...us. But none can find true happiness unless they learn to lose their lives. I love this quote by James E. Faust: 

 "Losing our lives means overcoming selfishness and committing ourselves to the service of others."

The natural man might have a hard time losing himself to serve others. When one is in the depths of a trial and focused exclusively on themselves and their own problems, they might not think that forgetting their problems and helping someone else would bring them happiness, but it does. 

In a similar way, serving others might seem like the recipient is the one receiving all the blessings and help. However, the one giving service has much more to gain than the recipient. 

I learned this lesson a few years ago when a new acquaintance asked me for help. Lizzy was in my stake and had physical limitations due to cerebral palsy. I spent several months helping Lizzy. I gave her rides, took her to the temple, invited her to spend time in my home, and helped her with some other things that she could not do by herself. The whole time I served her, I felt she needed me and I was the one helping her. Yet in the time I served her, she gave me a greater gift. She taught me perspective in the most beautiful way. I could not have gained that perspective through attending to my own needs or the needs of my family. Through my service to Lizzy, I also discovered a love that I had never felt before, and a closeness to my Savior. I gained an appreciation for the Plan of Salvation and since she has passed away, I have felt a closeness to those on the other side. I feel her helping me and cheering me on in a way only she could. Truly, what I gave to Lizzy was nothing compared to the life lessons she taught me.

How grateful I am to better understand why it is so important to put off the natural man and serve others.