We always have a choice. My Young Women, the girls 12-17 in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church), hear this often from me. I don’t believe this was something I knew as a teen myself, but rather have grown to the realization over the last several years. We always have a choice.
One of the first big choices we made was in our pre-earth life where we resided with our Heavenly Father. He presented us with a plan: to have the chance to come to earth; to make choices as to how we would live our lives; to be tried and tested; and to hopefully prove ourselves worthy to live with Him again. In order for this to happen we needed a Savior, someone to act as a mediator so that if we were to make wrong choices there would be a chance for us to repent and become clean again.
Two men stepped forward at this time. One, Lucifer, came forward and presented an alternate plan. He would guarantee that every single one of us would return to live with the Father again by forcing us to obey. Mistakes would not be allowed. There would be no choice, no agency. In order for him to agree to do this, however, he wanted all of the glory, all of the credit.
Fortunately our brother, Jesus Christ, was willing to be our Savior. In Him we would find our salvation. With Him, Heavenly Father’s plan could come to pass.
And so a choice was placed before us. Would we follow Lucifer? Or would we follow Jesus Christ and, in turn, our Heavenly Father? Our choice was made. How do we know we chose to follow Christ? We are here, now, on this earth, still making choices.
In the booklet For the Strength of Youth put out by the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are briefly taught about what it means to have agency and, what always accompanies it, accountability.
“ . . . While you are here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments.
“While you are free to choose for yourself, you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. When you make a choice, you will receive the consequences of that choice” (For the Strength of Youth, p.4).
The tricky thing about consequences is they may not be noticeable right away. If we choose to smoke, we may not see the damage to our health and the health of those we smoke around until too late. If we choose not to smoke, we may not ever realize how we’ll travel a healthier road, and that we’ve not risked hurting the health of those around us.
Other consequences happen quickly. For those who choose to enter into sexual relations before they are married they risk unhealthy diseases, pregnancy, not to mention the damage it can to do one’s self-image and spirituality. For those who practice abstinence until they are married there are the blessings of being pure, of bringing children into a safe and loving home, and of knowing that you can stand clean before the Lord.
“Wrong choices delay your progression and lead to heartache and misery. Right choices lead to happiness and eternal life. That is why it is so important for you to choose what is right throughout your life” (For the Strength of Youth, p.4).
With these choices we must come to realize our own responsibility in making them. We must not blame others for the times we choose to disobey God’s commandments. Of course I realize there are times when people have no choice in what happens to their physical self. Someone who is infringed upon by the wrong choices of others has no choice in how they are being treated. They do, however difficult it may be, have a choice in how they will respond to the situation. We do have the power to make the right choices. Can you imagine our loving Heavenly Father would give us agency without the power within ourselves to choose and live righteously?
“You are a child of God with great strength. You have the ability to choose righteousness and happiness, no matter what your circumstances” (For the Strength of Youth, p.5).
The last thing we are asked to consider with agency and accountability is the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-29). A master gives three of his servants talents, or money. To the first he gives five talents, to the second two, and to the last servant he gives only one. The first servant goes out and through industry and hard work earns five more talents. The second servant doubles his money as well. The third servant only hides away his one talent and has nothing to show for the gift his lord gave him. Because he hid this talent away it is taken from him and given to the first servant.
We have been blessed with many gifts, with various opportunities to grow, and with several tests and trials to overcome. If we allow the bad times to overtake us or merely hide our heads, our gifts, and our time away all that we have been blessed with will be taken from us and given to others. Fantastic opportunities that could have enriched our lives will be gone, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
“You are also responsible for developing the abilities and talents Heavenly Father has given you. You are accountable to Him for what you do with your abilities and how you spend your time. Do not idle away your time. Be willing to work hard. Choose to do many good things of your own free will” (For the Strength of Youth, p.5).
We are free to choose eternal life through making the best of everything we are given, just as we are free to choose captivity and death through idleness and fear(2 Nephi 2:27). I don’t know about you, but eternal life sounds a whole lot better to me.
