Free to Choose

In 2 Nephi chapter 2 it talks about our freedom to choose, our agency. This one principle caused the division of God's children in the premortal world. It made children turn away from their eternal father, and forced him to cast them out. Why is agency so important?

Here's my take on it: Agency is the ONLY way we can grow. It is the vehicle of progression. For example, pretend you are driving down a street and you see President Monson on the street corner. He hands you a strength of youth pamphlet and says, "don't turn left up ahead." He doesn't give you all the reasons why but as you approach that turn what do you do? You have your car, you have your agency. You can do whatever you choose.

That street has it's own set of temptations and consequences, a whole life lesson only learned through experience. My theory is that the spirits who need the lesson will turn left, and the ones who don't need it, will listen to the Prophet and continue down the road. Can the wanderer find their way back? Of course. But what kind of scars and consequences will they carry? Those who wander have many hard lessons to learn. Those who don't, have a much nicer ride.

So What will you choose?

Give Place for Faith

Today in Sunday School we read parts of Alma 32. It's the faith chapter: what faith is, how you can get it and strengthen it. The part that struck me today are two words... Give Place.

Alma tells us in verse 27, "even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you even until you believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

I wondered to myself, what does it mean to "give place" for a portion of the word of God? Make room? Throw some other stuff away? Obviously we need to fit it in somewhere if we ever want to discover anything spiritually. What can you get rid of in your life to give place for the word of God?

Recognizing the Spirit

The Book of Mormon and modern day prophets promise us that the Holy Ghost will tell us "the truth of all things" or "things as they really are." I belive that most people live far beneath their privileges when it comes to this promise. In other words, we could be enjoying the fruits of the Spirit much more than we do now.

I think Satan has been extremely successful in his lie that we are alone. When tough questions come or difficult situations most people turn inward, falsly believing that they must face it or resolve it alone.

The truth is, we have more power on our side than we dare to imagine.

Not only do we have our loved ones and local church leaders on our side, as children of an Almighty God we have access to his eternal wisdom and love.

I have been struggling with a question in my heart for the past few weeks and yesterday I attended the temple. I opened my heart to Spirit and was filled with that familiar, overwhelming love. I have felt that love fill me countless times before, but it never fails to take my breath away. With the love came several insights and promises about the question in my heart.

I was not struck by lightning. I was not tapped on the shoulder. It was the still small voice. It sounded like my voice in my head, but it was the feeling that came along with the voice that makes me know it was from my Heavenly Father. The feeling is beautifully described in Helaman 5:30:

"And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of great tumultuous noise, but behold it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul."

The Book of Mormon and all it's teachings are true.