https://ldsblogs.com/2001/eternally-safe-choices-undertanding-agency Fri, 21 Feb 2014 02:05:03 +0000 hourly 1 https://ldsblogs.com/2001/eternally-safe-choices-undertanding-agency#comment-609 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:24:44 +0000 http://ldsblogs.com/?p=2001#comment-609 Thank you for sharing your thoughts on agency. My blog on happiness has also discussed this principle in relationship to how we allow happiness to be fully present in our lives. I think it is rather easy to understand the principle of agency; after all, it makes perfect sense–especially when you have been taught the Plan of Salvation. The harder part is truly embracing agency–i.e. accepting the consequences of your own bad choices, or, painfully watching a child choose poorly, knowing they will have to face the consequences someday. I have known so many good parents in the Church, parents who love their children, and have raised them according to the correct principles and doctrines of the church. Yet–their children have rebelled and made poor choices, sometime choices that have affected their entire lives. When you are in the thick of this situation as a parent, agency becomes a very hard principle to embrace. You find yourself wanting to cocoon your children–keeping them from any danger–but that’s not the plan (rather, it was Satan’s plan). Its a difficult balancing act as a parent, to know where to draw the line with a child, how much free reign to give, how many boundaries without causing a rebellious backlash from the child. Joseph Smith was truly inspired when he said, “Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.” But as a parent, that is a lot easier said than done!

]]>