Agency is one of the most sacred things that the Lord has given us. It allows us to make our own choices. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he gave us this gift to be able to choose for ourselves what is right and wrong. I learned this week that everyone has their own agency and we can't force people to do what we want them to do. Every one makes their own decisions and we can't make it for them.
This could be one of the most important principles that we can learn. Once we learn this, we will learn that we can't manipulate people to do things that they don't want to do. Also, we need to learn to use our agency correctly by choosing to make decisions that are in line with the Lord's will. The only thing we have to give to the Lord is our will and once we learn how to do that, we will live a happy life and the Lord will bless us beyond measure.
I need to practice this principle every day of my life. It won't be easy but I am going to start putting this into practice right now. I am going to do that by doing everything I can to give my will to the Lord. I can do that by serving others, fulfilling my church calling, studying my scriptures, and helping others whenever they are in need. Life will be easier and much more enjoyable when we learn to give our will to the Lord.
Craig I think this is definitely an important principle you are hitting on that sometimes as church member and students we sometimes hear a lot about yet don't think about. Taking into perspective all the things we are provided with by virtue of the fact we are born on Earth and what we get to take with us when we die we need to prioritize. Given that all the money in the world wouldn't amount to the price of bread in heaven all the sudden a lot of value we associate with material things begins to shift. With that perspective, really the most valuable commodity we have is our time. How we choose to use our agency and by extension our time is critical. Ultimately when we die, we are the sum of our actions and how we choose to use our very limited time here. I like that you mentioned we need to focus on the important things, and I like that your list didn't the words career, money, and material things. Surely these things are important so we can fulfill other things like our callings, providing for families etc. however, they aren't the focus. Thank you for highlighting what's truly important.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Scott, agency is one of the greatest gifts that we have. It is simple in theory that if we choose to follow God that we will be blessed, however, in life we too often follow prey to temptations that at the moment seem more worthwhile than waiting for the promised blessings.
ReplyDeleteAgency is such a great gift but unfortunately sometimes it isn't used the right way.I have a close friend who I grew up with that was always a great, faithful member of the church. Somewhere along the line he decided he didn't want to be anymore. It was like flipping a switch. It was hard for everyone close to just let him go through all this but that's kind of the tricky part about agency. We have to keep encouraging people who make poor choices but it is in our agency not to judge and just continue to love. Clearly God values agency highly so it is something worth trying to perfect while we are still here.
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