Today, I'd like to talk about agency. No real reason, this is just a topic that has been swimming around in my head for some time.

So, what is agency? Agency is the ability and God-given privilege that allows us to make choice and actions for ourselves. Without agency, we would have no choice in our decisions.

Now, some people are under the impression that agency just means you can do whatever you want. Now, that's true, but it means a little more than that. You see, we're given choices so that we can hopefully make the correct ones. When're be, making the choice to tell the truth about how you failed a test, or about how your car was totaled. They each have their own unique set of circumstances. Choosing to tell the truth about your car will take off a hefty load of guilt you have. You may still be punished, but at least you don't have that kind of burden on you. You have taken responsibility for your mistake, and you have learned a valuable lesson. If you choose to lie and say that it was somebody else's fault, then you have some guilt on you about lying. And when you tell one lie, that lie will eventually gear you into telling more lies. And pretty soon, you won't feel any guilt because by that point, you're too far gone. You've lost the freedom to tell the truth. There's the freedom part of agency. If we make the right choices, then we gain the freedom to make our own choices about right and wrong. But, if we do what is right, then we still get those choices. Which leads to freedom.

You were given the choice to choose whether or not you tell the truth. You have the power to decide if you're going to do the right thing. You learn a valuable lesson with almost every decision you make. Without agency, we wouldn't learn anything at all. Just because the only decision we have is to just be good, would we really deserve to go to Heaven? This life is just one big test to see if we're worthy to go back to heaven and be with our Heavenly Father. And if we don't have the agency to choose, then we've basically been given a cheat sheet. We didn't do anything to earn that A. We didn't get to show what we really know, and how we can do with that subject. All we really know is how to cheat.

Knowing which decisions are right and which are wrong is up to you. You can decide to go that party that you know is going to involve some alcohol, but you have to be aware of the consequences that come with it. Deciding to stay home with your family is a good choice. We get to strengthen our family relationships. Sure, the party would have been fun, but would dealing with the temptation of drinking beat having a good time with your family?

That question is up to you to answer. Think carefully about it.

-Joe