What should I wear today?
How should I
do my hair?
What should
I make for lunch?
What do I
want to be when I grow up?
What school
should I go to?
What major should
I pursue?
Who should I
marry?
Should we
have children?
Should I
accept that job offer?
Where should
we buy a house?
Which way do
I go from here?
Decisions,
choices, forks in the road….we face them every day. Some minor, while others of
a more serious nature. The great news though, is that this was all a part of
the plan!
Before human
life began on the earth, we all lived in heaven. God’s plan was for us to leave
heaven for a time, acquire life experiences through our choices, and then
return to live with Him in heaven. I want to focus on an aspect of this plan;
that is the part of our ability to make choices.
The Gospel Principles book, a teaching
manual used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, reads, “God has
told us through His prophets that we are free to choose between good and evil.
We may choose liberty and eternal life by following Jesus Christ. We are also
free to choose captivity and death by following Satan. The right to choose between
good and evil and to act for ourselves is called agency. One purpose of earth life
is to show what choices we will make” (17).
So our ability
to make our own choices is known as agency, and it is a gift! God wants us to
make choices and learn from our own experiences. A verse of scripture found in
the Book of Mormon emphasizes this point, saying, “Therefore, cheer up your
hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves” (2 Nephi 10:23). So
let us be excited about the decisions we have to make.
Know
this, that ev'ry soul is free
To
choose his life and what he'll be;
For
this eternal truth is giv'n:
That
God will force no man to heav'n.
He'll
call, persuade, direct aright,
And
bless with wisdom, love, and light,
In
nameless ways be good and kind,
But
never force the human mind.
(hymn
240, Know This, That Every Soul Is Free)
God, our loving
heavenly father, knows that the best way to learn is through experience. He
will guide and assist us when necessary, but in the meantime he gives us plenty
of room to explore and experiment for ourselves. He trusts us to make correct
choices, to recognize the good from the evil. And should we take a wrong turn,
God will intervene and lead us to the right path. In the following video clip, Jeffrey
R. Holland, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
shares how this happened to him and his son on a camping trip one summer.
God does provide
us guidance in life, and I am grateful for that. But how incredible that we are
entrusted to make our own decisions. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE! Opportunities to learn.
Experiences for growth. We need not be paralyzed with fear to take the first
step. You can move forward, assured that God will redirect you if something is not
right.
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