Alma provided the following counsel to his son Shiblon, who had demonstrated faithfulness and diligence during his missionary service: "See that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love" (Alma 38:12).
To his son Corianton, who had forsaken the ministry and committed serious sins, he said, "I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things" (Alma 39:9).
In both cases, his purpose was the same: to help his sons get away and stay away from sin.
In the disciplines of auditing and accounting, there are two types of controls used to mitigate risks: preventive and detective. A preventive control is designed to stop errors from occurring in the first place. A detective control is designed to identify problems when they occur and notify appropriate people so that they can take corrective action. As we strive to live righteously and avoid sin, we can implement both kinds of controls in our lives. For example:
- Preventive controls include finding friends and mentors who help us make good choices, avoiding environments and media which encourage bad behavior, and engaging diligently in worthy causes.
- Detective controls include soul-searching prayers, thoughtful self-evaluation during the sacrament, and listening to constructive feedback from others.
Obviously, it's better to prevent an error than to detect it, but when we detect it, we can mitigate the damage by correcting the mistake as quickly as possible.
Elder Quentin L. Cook observed:
Alma's preventive counsel was to bridle passions, but his counsel for those who have transgressed was to repent. President Nelson gave members profound counsel on repentance at the April 2019 general conference. He made it clear that daily repentance is integral to our lives. "Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind," he taught. "Daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power." If Corianton had done what President Nelson counseled, he would have repented as soon as he had begun to entertain impure thoughts. Major transgressions would not have occurred.
"Be True to God and His Work," General Conference, October 2022
Today, I will implement and maintain both preventive and detective controls. I will strive to "bridle all [my] passions," and I will also "repent and forsake [my] sins." I will remember that a combination of prevention and rapid detection can help me avoid serious problems which might grow if errors are left unattended.
No comments:
Post a Comment