2 Ne.

10: 23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Having a change of heart involves changing the way that you look or view something. It is also called seeing something in a different light. Paradigm: Steven R. Coveys example So I ask you today, take off the rose colored glasses that you see yourself and the world through and put on the ones the Lord would have you use. So I ask of you, what is the state of your heart? Your state of heart is often referred to as your attitude and only you can determine what that will be. Thus in order to have a change of heart, or attitude, it must come from within. It is nothing that Heavenly Father can give you. He may allow certain situations that may lead you to soften your heart and change your attitude, but he will never change it for you. This is part of the eternal law of free agency. Mary White, Never let your attitude become your handicap Your attitude not your aptitude determines your altitude I honestly feel that a persons attitude is the most important factor in a persons success in every aspect of life, and we have multiple attitudes and states of heart depending on what aspect of life we are dealing with. The challenge then becomes aligning our wills and attitude with our Father-in-Heavens. This is what is meant by becoming like Him Neal A. Maxwell once stated, The goal of my life is to live it is such a way that when others get to know me, they will want to know Him. Mosiah 5:13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? Ultimately this process of changing our hearts or attitudes is the process of aligning our will with the will of the Fathers; wanting what he wants, doing things that he would do, seeing situations and people as he would see them. This sounds frightening to some at first, including me, until we realize that by doing this, we truly become free. Bruce R. McConkie taught this best in an address that he gave to BYU in 1999. I am going to preach a hard doctrine to you now. The submission of ones will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on Gods altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in Gods will, then we are

really giving something to Him. And that hard doctrine lies at the center of discipleship. There is a part of us that is ultimately sovereign, the mind and heart, where we really do decide which way to go and what to do. And when we submit to His will, then weve really given Him the one final thing He asks of us. And the other things are not very, very important. It is the only possession we have that we can give, and there is no lessening of our agency as a result. Instead, what we see is a flowering of our talents and more and more surges of joy. Submission to Him is the only form of submission that is completely safe. The submission of ones will is inherent to changing ones attitude, changing ones heart. The classic example of this is Lehis family. Most of us know the story of Laman, Lemuel, Nephi and Sam, but what is it that makes us see them in the light of Nephi and Sam were good and Laman and Lemuel bad? Think about it, Laman and Lemuel eventually did everything that they were commanded until Lehi died. Leave Jerusalem (They were of age to stay if they wanted) Leave their riches behind Follow their father around in the wilderness Return to get the brass plates Return again for Ishmaels family (not as difficult) Build a boat Cross the ocean These were no small tasks. The difference was their attitude. They chose to harden their hearts and assume they knew better than those that were listening to the promptings of the spirit. They never asked in faith to feel, see, or understand the things that their father Lehi did. Thus, in the end because they hardened their hearts and would not change their attitudes, they never partook of the fruit of the tree of life and never experienced the joy of their brothers. Laman and Lemuel murmured, because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. 1 Nephi 2:12 Why did they not know Him? Because they did not desire too. They had many experiences that soften their hearts, but they chose to harden them time and time again. They chose their attitude and how they saw the world. The question to us then is, which glasses are we going to choose to see our lives through; Heavenly Fathers or our own? What attitude or attitudes am I going to take in life. We may feel justified in maintaining a portion of our heart hard because of many reasons: I am more educated thus I know more than the Prophet or Bishop who does not understand me. I will never forgive that person, he or she offended me more than anyone will ever understand I am strong enough to watch these type of shows. The commandment to not watch R-rated movies is for the weak.

 Coffee is not bad for me. Just look at how many others drink it. And the list goes on and on. The magic is if you ask in prayer what it is that the Lord would have you change, you will feel the spirit tell you. It is hard. You may feel like you are giving up part of who you are. You may feel like you are giving up your free will, but I promise you that it is just the opposite. In so doing, you will feel more joy, more life and freedom than you ever have before. President Benson once stated, Men and women who turn their lives over to God will be able to make more out of it than they can on their own. My brother John: I used to cry because I had no shoe until I met the man who had no feet. 2 Ne. 10: 23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. If we don try, then we dont do and if we dont do, then why are we here? Testimony