Many people are more concerned with present wants than
with future desires and have difficulty thinking about the long-term
consequences of their actions. The most
worthwhile things in life, both temporal and spiritual, can only be achieved by
mastering ourselves. Lasting joy and
happiness are achieved through self-mastery.
Imagine for a moment that a friend offered you a
ride in his beautiful candy-apple red convertible. You are very impressed with the car and can
see that it is in wonderful condition.
The engine roars, and the tires look brand-new. Just as you are about to enter the car, your
friend mentions that the brakes do not work.
Are you still interested in riding in the car or do you realize that it
is dangerous to ride in a car with no brakes?
Living without self-mastery is just as dangerous
as riding in a car without working brakes.
Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
stated: "You consist of two parts -
your physical body, and your spirit which lives within your body. You may have heard the expression `mind over
matter.' …. I would like to phrase it a
little differently: `spirit over
body.' That is self-mastery" (in Ensign, November 1985, 30).
Self-mastery is the ability of your spirit to
control your body, the ability to do what you know you should do even if a part
of you does not want to do it. You
exercise self-mastery when you do God's will instead of your own.
One of the characteristics of Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ is self-mastery. They want
us to have control over ourselves because self-mastery brings blessings. Jesus Christ taught us that we must be able
to master ourselves if we are to be His disciples.
"Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).
The
Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 16:24 (see footnote d in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint edition of the
Bible) clarifies that we are to deny ourselves "all
ungodliness." We are to give up unrighteous
actions and replace them with righteous ones.
Exercising self-mastery involves using our agency to choose to live
righteously.
Exercising self-mastery does not mean denying
oneself everything that is enjoyable or fun.
When we practice self-mastery, we give up some things or experiences in
order to receive things or experiences we want more. For example, when we fast, for a time we give
up eating, which is enjoyable, in order to receive spiritual strength and
growth. On a larger scale, we give up
sin (which may sometimes appear
enjoyable) in order to have peace of mind and the opportunity to live with
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.
Consider a man who was carrying a bottle of
water. He knew the water was needed to
prime the water pump, but he was thirsty.
He decided to drink the water instead of priming the pump. He lacked self-mastery and satisfied his
immediate desire instead of preparing for the future. His experience would have been much different
if he had exercised self-mastery. If he
had primed the pump before taking a drink, he would have had all the water he
needed.
It is easy for us to see the mistake that this
man made, but his experience is comparable to many of the spiritual decisions
we face. Self-mastery, like other
skills, is developed through practice.
In some instances, we practice self-mastery simply by doing the desired
action each day and thus forming a habit.
Self-mastery in other areas, however, may require more effort.
There are several ways that we can develop
self-mastery. 1) We can work to achieve
appropriate goals. When we recognize
areas in our lives that require greater self-mastery, we can set goals with
clear achievable steps to help us. For
example, if we need greater self-mastery in getting ready for church on time,
we can plan what things need to be done on Saturday in order to achieve this
goal.
2) We can replace bad habits with good ones. It is easier to break a bad habit if we
replace it with a better habit or activity.
We can develop the habit of daily scripture study by setting a goal to
study the scriptures at a specific time each day.
3) We can ask friends or family members to
help. Sometimes simply telling someone
else about a new goal or a habit we are trying to develop can motivate us to
work harder. Friends and family members
can also give us encouragement and assistance as we work to exercise greater
self-mastery.
4) We can pray and read the scriptures. When we pray, we can ask Heavenly Father to
give us the strength we need to reach our goals or change our habits. As we study the scriptures, we can be guided
by the Lord's counsel and the example of others who have exercised
self-mastery, such as Daniel or Joseph of Egypt. If we are receptive to the influence of the
Holy Ghost, He can also help us achieve self-mastery.
"Many years ago [Roger Bannister]
participated in the Olympic Games as a champion in the one-mile race. He was supposed to win, but he wound up
finishing in fourth place. He went home
from the Olympics discouraged, disillusioned, and embarrassed.
"He
had his mind set on giving up running.
He was a medical student at the time, and his studies were so
demanding. He decided that he'd better
get on with life and devote all of his time in preparing for medicine and
forget his hopes about running the world's record in the four-minute mile. He went to his coach and told him, `Coach,
I'm through. I'm going to devote all my
time to studying.' His coach said,
`Roger, I think you are the man who can break the four-minute mile. I wish you'd give it one last try before you
quit.'
"Roger
… went home knowing not what to say or do.
But before the night was over, he had convinced himself that he would
develop an iron will before he quit running.
He was going to break the four-minute mile.
"He
knew what this meant. He would have to
set a pattern and live by it. He
realized he would have to study seven, eight, or even nine hours a day to get
through medical school. He would have to
train for at least four hours a day…. He
knew he would have to eat the best foods.
He knew he would have to go to bed early every night and sleep nine or
ten hours, to let his body recuperate and constantly build up for the great
day. He determined within himself that
he was going to follow the rigid pattern he and the coach knew was necessary
for victory and achievement.
"On
May 6, 1954, the four-minute-mile barrier was broken by Roger Bannister, … a
man committed to a winning pattern which would bring him recognition
worldwide…. Roger Bannister set the
pattern many years ago and followed it with total commitment, self-discipline,
and a will of iron" (Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign,
Nov. 1990, 22).
The
Savior exercised self-mastery as He did what Heavenly Father wanted him to do
rather than what He wanted to do. In the
Garden of Gethsemane
The
results of the Savior's self-mastery was that He suffered for our sins and made
salvation possible for us when we repent.
As we develop self-mastery, we develop a greater ability to say, as
Jesus did, "Father, … not my will, but thine, be done."
We
must make the decision that we want to master ourselves. President David O. McKay urged us to remember
that "the greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers
of your own soul" (Improvement Era,
June 1969, 30).
We can gain self-mastery by working on one
problem at a time. I remember how hard
it was to remember to floss my teeth before brushing them each night until I
set a goal to floss them every night.
The fact that I had this goal made it impossible for me not to do
it. Eventually, flossing was just as habitual
as brushing was for me.
I know that it is important that we learn to
master ourselves and that self-mastery brings happiness. I also know that Heavenly Father is there
just waiting for us to ask for help in gaining greater control over ourselves. I also know that all the blessings promised
to the faithful in the plan of salvation come to those who learn to deny
themselves of all ungodliness and follow the Lord.
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