A Personal Interview

In 2017, Elder M. Russell Ballard encouraged us all to review our life’s goals (destinations) and plans (routes). He suggested that while it’s good to have career and education goals, and it’s important to have goals for our marriages, families, and Church callings, the most important goals are aligned with God’s eternal plan for us. He suggested that we periodically hold a personal, private interview with ourselves in which we ponder how we are progressing along the path toward eternal life.

Elder Ballard said that he uses Alma chapter 5 as a guide for these periodic personal interviews, because that chapter is full of introspective questions which can help us evaluate how we are doing and what we are doing better.

I held a personal interview today. Here are some of the questions I found particularly helpful as I considered my own progress:

1. “Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance…” (Alma 5:6). I thought about loved ones, both here and those who have passed on to the next life. I remember them, but do I remember them enough? Can I remember them more often or more meaningfully?
2. “Have ye spiritually been born of God?” (Alma 5:14). This is a tough one, because it challenges me to think about my heart. Am I holding something back, or am I letting God change me in all the ways He can? Am I willing to let him turn me into a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Mosiah 27:26), or in other words a “new creation?”
3. “Do ye exercise faith?” (Alma 5:16). President Russell M. Nelson said that we build faith by “doing something that requires more faith” (“Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” General Conference, April 2021). Am I doing things that require me to exercise faith in God, or do I need to welcome new challenges into my life which can stretch my faith?
4. “Are ye stripped of pride … [and] envy?” (Alma 5:28-29). “Stripped” sounds like there’s no trace, and I definitely have traces of pride and envy. What can I do to let those traces go? What activities will help me feel more humble and more connected with all of God’s children?
5. “Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself?” (Alma 5:45). How can I be more respectful of the unique experiences of other people? How can I celebrate their spiritual growth?
6. “Will ye persist…” (Alma 5:54-55). Bad habits can be hard to break, but today is a good day to begin. Instead of stubbornly doing what I’ve always done, today’s a good day to ask, “Why am I still doing that?” Today is a good day to try something new. Today is a good day to break old patterns of thought and behavior and do something better.

Today, I will remember the lessons of my personal interview using Alma’s questions. I will strive to remember, to let God change me, to exercise faith in Him, to let go of pride and envy, to respect and celebrate other people’s experiences, and to change my patterns of thought and behavior.