Change as the constant

In scientific experiments, constants are essential. As a scientist, you are always trying to be sure to account for every possible variable, to make sure that absolutely everything is the same each time you repeat a procedure, so that you can see the effect of that one intended change you make.

Life is kind of the opposite. As the saying goes, the only constant is change. The world around us is constantly changing as time goes by, people come and go, technology progresses. Most often we are even working to change ourselves, trying to exercise more, waste less time, serve others more, be better.

In the experiment of life - our effort to learn and progress and become like our Father in Heaven - change must be held constant. We keep our hearts changing and our lives changing as we constantly strive to become better. Just as holding everything constant in a science experiment allows us to see the effects of the intentional variables we introduce, so our constant effort to change ourselves allows us to take advantage of the effects of the central part of life's experiment that does not change - the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This idea of changing all kinds of things at once, all the while focusing not on any of those changes but on a single element that will never change, does not sound anything like science. And I am so grateful that it does not, because as wonderful as science is, it is by no means a sure thing.
Science experiments go inexplicably wrong all the time, and that is considered completely normal. But I can be absolutely sure that my life experiment will not go wrong because constant change for the better is about faith, not science. Jesus Christ will never fail me, and knowing that is all that really matters.