Change by Degrees

By J. Vance

Joseph Smith has said "We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin. . .. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until the mind is capable in some measure, of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same." (History of the Church 2:8, January 22, 1834.)

Likewise, our process of change will be obtained in degrees. Each of us will be in different stages of understanding and transcending the same-sex attraction condition. Evergreen offers support and encouragement through this process, yet one needs to realize that the pathway of change is rarely easy. If understanding can come through the message of Joseph Smith and people can apply it in their lives, then they will know that this process is worth the battle scars, and that at some point we will overcome.


(Originally published in Journey, Volume 4, number 3, May/June 1994, page 2.)