THE IMPORTANCE OF FREE AGENCY

I am no one special, I have no degrees, no honors. Although that may dub me the weak and simple  of the world, I cant take claim to being prophetic either*. This past year I have contemplated the principle of free agency. Its always something that we are told is paramount to our spiritual progression, one of Gods greatest gifts to his children. A principle that was fought over in a premortal life.  This principle has never imbedded itself deep into my mind as it has recently, and therefore has not been impactful in my life as it should be. (The same can be said for the principle of being a child of God.) The freedom to choose brings great power into our lives. Just think about those great men and women that have chosen to do the right things all their lives and the massive impact that their choices and experiences has had on people after them. Moses chose to listen to God in the burning bush and return to Egypt. Nephi chose to follow his father in to the wilderness to obey Gods commandment to leave Jerusalem. Of their own free will they made a choice that led them down a path of confidence in their belief in God. As they chose the right, the priesthood that they held was amplified, until it was needed and used. The power to make a choice has so many ramifications that are not just a consequence of the choice or limited to the moment it is made.  As the song goes "choose the right..... be safe through inspirations power...there is peace in righteous doing...there is safety for the soul*
This past weekend, I witnessed the power of free agency. I saw it in the temple when a brave young woman made a very hard decision. At a time of great pressure, when a weaker son or daughter would have just went the easier way in the moment. This awesome girl who was sitting across the alter from her husband to be, did not have the spirit of joy that should come at this point, she took the higher road and listened to her heart. She was not ready to make the commitment required. This choice will empower her for years to come. In the future when she will face difficult decisions, she can look back on that event, when the easier choice at that moment was to say yes, to please her fiancé, to satisfy the guests who came to celebrate, she can hold her head high and have confidence to take the path less trodden and know that it will work out.


It is like that for all of us, if we use this free gift to make the hard choices that are based on rock solid principles that we know to be absolutely true. This starts with the simple choices, like choosing to pray daily, reading scriptures often, ponderizing spiritual insights, making the most of the Sabbath day. All these things will add power to our lives. It seams as a person gets on in age, no matter the decade, having strength and power banked up is immeasurable. During these last days, when there will be many who will say "lo here is Christ or there" *, or "take advantage of your neighbor" * if we yield to these paths of ease, we will fall, and lose our confidence in ourselves and our ability to make optimum choices that bring so much power and enjoyment into our lives and in the eternities.


I don't know who will read this, whether is just my children or family, but my hope is that we look deep with in ourselves and find the power to make the choices that bring about much good now and in generations to come.





*1 D&C 1:23
*2 Hymn 239
*3 Matt 24:23
*4 2Nephi 28:8