Lesson 3: You can't convert anyone past your own conversion.

This is something that you hear a lot in the mission field-- you can't convert anyone past your own conversion.

I think first we'd better talk about what conversion is. If you're converted you not only believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, but that knowledge changes you. It says in True to the Faith that "[Conversion] is a change in our very nature. It is such a significant change that the Lord and His prophets refer to it as a rebirth, a change of hear, and a baptism of fire."

Conversion comes through applying the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We build our faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel by praying, studying the scriptures, going to church, magnifying our callings, etc. And the more we learn of Jesus Christ the more we want to follow Him. We recognize changes need to be made in our lives. So we make the changes. We stop doing what is wrong and start doing what is right. We rely on the Lord to help us make these changes. We make and keep covenants or promises with God. We listen to and follow the Spirit. And we repeat the process. By living the Gospel of Jesus Christ we become converted. Soon we find that we aren't just going through the motions, but that we are becoming like the Savior.

Conversion is not a superficial change. In his talk "The Atonement and Faith" Elder Dallin H. Oaks talks about this mighty change that must take place.

"We tend to think of the results of repentance as simply cleansing us from sin, but that is an incomplete view of the matter. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin. If we focus only on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bend and soil its leaves may remain. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened.

When a person has gone through the process that results in what the scriptures call “a broken heart and a contrite spirit,” the Savior does more than cleanse that person from sin. He gives him or her new strength. That strengthening is essential for us to realize the purpose of the cleansing, which is to return to our Heavenly Father. To be admitted to His presence, we must be more than clean. We must also be changed from a morally weak person who has sinned into a strong person with the spiritual stature to dwell in the presence of God. We must, as the scripture says, become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19)."

Whoa. . . That is pretty intense, but it's true. Conversion is the process of strengthening our spirits through the Atonement of Jesus Christ until we will eventually be as He is. This is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Lasting change and lasting happiness are possible because of Jesus Christ. But it involves sacrifice. It's hard. It's not comfortable.

Is it any wonder that we can't convert anyone past our own conversion? If I'm not making these changes, if I'm not digging into the depths of my soul every day to call upon the Savior to help me become more like Him, how could I possibly ask someone else to do the same? If repentance to me is simply cleaning the leaves, that's all repentance is going to be to those I try and teach. But if I'm truly repenting and changing and becoming like Christ every day through the Atonement, then when I invite others to change they feel it. This is what the Lord means in Doctrine & Covenants 11:21:

"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."

On my mission we were teaching a woman named Brynisha. She is awesome and has such an amazing family! But Brynisha expressed to us that she had some anger issues. It was the craziest things because I never saw her as an angry person, but at the time she started expressing this weakness to us, I was having trouble controlling my temper. I was struggling with feelings of anger and frustration. So as I studied and prayed for myself and for Brynisha we were able to change together. As Brynisha started reading the Book of Mormon she recognized she wasn't as angry. As I started studying the Book of Mormon and reading it before bed, I wasn't as angry.

Ultimately, our conversion is our responsibility. I can't be converted for you and you can't be converted for me. But I know that as we strive to become more converted to Jesus Christ through faith, repentance, making & keeping covenants that we will have the Spirit of God with us and God will use us to help others in their process of conversion.

So, this week I'm going to be making some changes to help me become more converted to the Lord and I would invite you all to do the same. :)

I'll end off with the song I'm listening to at this very moment--Savior, Redeemer of My Soul by Dallyn Vail Bayles. Have a great week!