Personal Narrative: My Religion Class

Up until this point in my life, I had never really had a class that challenged me to become something better than what I currently am. I have taken many different religion classes in which I had learned many new and interesting things about the gospel, but none of them really incorporated in a serious way a commitment to try and become a better person. When Brother Jeppson spoke to us in class and I heard how serious he really was about us trying to become what we want to be, I was surprised. I began thinking about what I could do as a semester long project in which I could set a goal and record my progress. I had read Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography a few months earlier and I remember him writing about a personal program that he had developed …show more content…
I felt comfortable with my everyday understanding of things such as temperance and order. But when I sat down and prayerfully studied these subjects my eyes were opened, and my understanding for them completely changed. For example, when I was studying temperance I found a quote from Ezra Taft Benson which I had never heard before. It reads, “A temperate soul- one who is full of love- is also a person of increased strength. With increased spiritual strength, we are able to develop self-mastery, and to live in moderation. We learn to control our temper, our anger, vanity, and pride. With increased spiritual strength, we can protect ourselves from the dangerous excesses and destructive addictions of today’s world. The church is in need of temperate priesthood holders.” This quote touched my very soul! I felt like this was the catalyst I personally needed to start my quest, and I now that Heavenly Father led me to it. I learned that Temperance is having a firm reliance on the Lord, and always making time for him. I learned that temperance means to think about what I can do for others, rather than become irritated if something isn’t done for me. I decided that I would do everything that I could to bring a spirit of love and harmony into my home, and the results were truly amazing. My wife and I would often times have little contentions with each other over trivial matters such as who is going to clean the dishes in the sink. I began to do as many household chores as I could think of to help out my wife. I began to make her breakfast in the mornings before she would go to work. What I found amazing about this was that after I started doing all of these things for my wife Tess, my love for her increased. Serving her became a joy, and our little contentions decreased dramatically. I could tell that the spirit had worked on her as well, and she began to