Everyone wants to live an abundant, happy life. In today’s world, some believe that seeking to discover their inherent, so-called “true self” is crucial to achieving that. But Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens suggests the gospel of Jesus Christ offers a more expansive solution.
“I think [the ‘true self’] can be a dangerous myth, as if there is some kind of fixed identity that we are in search of,” Terryl shared recently on an episode of the Out of the Best Books podcast. “Latter-day Saint theology suggests, rather, that identity is always a work in progress and that we are always in a position to be making choices about the kind of identity we want to create.”
Choose Influences That Lead You to Christ
Terryl referenced the principle from the Doctrine and Covenants that we can “do many things of [our] own free will” as “agents unto [ourselves].”
“Agency always works in a field of agents,” he explained. “We are always being acted upon by ideas, by examples, by influences, by words. And we are susceptible, meaning that we are vulnerable, to these influences. … Much of the Doctrine and Covenants seems to be concerned with guiding us in what influences we choose to be open and responsive to.”
Terryl uses listening to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven as an example. Let’s say you recognize that there is something aesthetically and morally refined about people who can attend a Beethoven concert and fully appreciate the music. You are not one of those people, but you want to be. So, you attend more concerts to open yourself up to influences that can help cultivate your sensitivity to the greatness of Beethoven’s music.
Similarly, when it comes to discipleship, we can develop our identities as disciples of Christ by focusing on influences that lead us to Him. “It means that we’re not searching to uncover some ‘true self’—we are deliberately and consciously aspiring to a self,” Terryl says.
The Rubber-Meets-the-Road Essence of Agency
These choices involve acting in faith, often against our natural dispositions. For example, a scripture from Proverbs has shaped how Terryl thinks about living the gospel: “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”
“That [verse], to me, was a powerful kind of formative idea,” he says. “That, you know, I don’t like [ministering], I’m antisocial; but if I just follow the prescription to do what is counseled and advised, then I’ll let God take care of my disposition. And gradually, that sociability and that selflessness and openness to others will become part of my nature. So, I think that is the rubber-meets-the-road essence of agency in the life of daily discipleship.”
This approach expands the possibilities of our sense of self and allows us to focus on our divine identity as disciples of Christ. As President Russell M. Nelson has taught:
“No identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations: ‘child of God,’ ‘child of the covenant,’ and ‘disciple of Jesus Christ.’ …
“Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become.”
Listen to the full conversation with Terryl Givens on the Out of the Best Books podcast, which is available on all major streaming platforms.
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