But Dad...

You remember when you were a kid and your parents would tell you to do something that you didn't want to do? It seemed like a waste of time, so you would ask "why?" And what does dad always say? "Because I said so!"

What a lame excuse for an answer. The fact is, if Dad would take the time to explain the purpose of the task assigned in a way we could understand, we would be more willing to do the task. But we're never given the reasons, and we are put the the task grudgingly.

Well, the commandments are the same way. Sometimes we don't really understand why we must obey a commandment. It makes it kinda difficult to want to obey it. We're asked to just do it anyway, and we do. We typically eventually find out it was for the best, but still... it doesn't make it easy.

So take the time to understand the commandments. It will make obeying them easier for you.

I'll give an example. Take the Word of Wisdom. What's the purpose of it? It's a law of health. We often quote the scriptures that note that the body is a temple. So... we're supposed to take care of our body 'cause it's sacred. Okay, but there's a reason... what does it do for us? Obviously the Word of Wisdom isn't a favor for God. There's something we're supposed to get out of it. So what is God trying to teach us?

We're being taught how to control our body. We're learning to govern our soul by our spirit, not by our body. We're are taught to avoid substances that could cause us to lose this control. Remember that we are learning to be like God. To be gods, we must harness the powers that our bodies hold, for if our bodies can't be governed, we can't be trusted to govern anything else. And there's a power in our bodies... one day we'll understand it. But we won't be able to use it if we don't have control.

Doesn't that help make you want to obey those commandments a little more?