Agency

What if change can be immediate? In fact, what if long-lasting change isn’t possible without immediate change?

The Lord commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth and to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

Being a mother in a mixed-faith marriage has given Ashli unique insight into agency, eternity, and God’s never-ending love.

Because we speak often of their innocence, we too often assume Eve and Adam were clueless when they left the garden. But in reality, they had been prepared and taught from the very beginning.

Courses are taught by experts in their fields and range from how to improve your scripture study to overcoming doubts to talking to your kids about tough topics like pornography.

It is our privilege and responsibility as parents to plant and to tend the seeds of faith and goodness. But if we become impatient, if we try to force growth or maturity before its time, we may end up hindering the beautiful, natural process of growth.

If you have read or had a lesson on the New Testament, chances are you encountered something related to the Pharisees and their rigid adherence to 600+ rules based on the Law of Moses. We often talk about the religious leaders’ unwillingness to accept a higher law and how their litany of laws interfered with their ability to truly live the gospel. But as emeritus General Authority and former Sunday School General President Tad R. Callister points out in a recent article for Church News, Pharisees didn’t just exist in the time of the Savior. Even today, we are at risk of becoming Pharisee-like in our lives and especially in our parenting, when we become too focused on rules instead of principles and don’t give others an opportunity to exercise agency first.

I love words. Like, seriously love them. You know the person who starts off their sacrament meeting talk by saying, “Webster’s defines ‘prayer’ as…”? That’s me. I’m that guy. I read the dictionary for fun, you guys.

“Angels above us are silent notes taking of ev’ry action; then do what is right!” As a child, I took those hymn lyrics to heart, imagining that someone somewhere was watching my every action and taking note.

The great misconception of "free" agency is that one can have the privilege of choice and somehow avoid the responsibility of consequences. Someone has said that a Statue of Responsibility should be erected on the west coast to balance the Statue of Liberty that stands on the east coast. Young people, especially, have an asymmetric view of agency; they tend to focus on the positive outcomes they associate with making their own choices and ignore the potential negative outcomes.

The end of the Book of Mormon contains one of the most gruesome scenes in all of recorded scripture. If you think I’m talking about the events at Cumorah where about a quarter-million Nephites are massacred, think again.

Apples to Apples is no fun and games; Apples to Apples is serious business. At least, that’s what it feels like when I play against my competitive family. Though my husband is equally competitive, he still lost Apples to Apples every time we played with my family.

“I just want to get it right.”

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Submission has a bad reputation. As Elder Jeffery R. Holland has said, “You can be certain that with some in this world, it is not fashionable nor flattering to speak of submitting—to anybody or anything . . . It sounds wrong on the face of it. It sounds feeble and wimpish.”

I saw a post a while ago that has stuck with me for months. This post referenced a choice someone had made—a choice contrary to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which they claim membership. After explaining their choice and their feelings surrounding it, they shared that they found peace in their choice by focusing on Heavenly Father’s love for them. They had determined that God’s love and their own happiness was the most important part of this situation.

A few months ago, I received a strong impression to write on a specific topic. It was a welcome revelation, because as far as my writing has gone, it has seemed that God has had no strong feelings on what I should write. I know He cares about my hobbies and interests, of course, but as I’ve prayed about what to write in recent years, passing ideas by Him or asking for direction, it’s almost been as though His answer has been, “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You could do that. Whatever you feel you want to do is fine with me.”

We all want to follow Heavenly Father's plan for us. But sometimes Satan takes advantage of our righteous desires to prevent us from progressing.

Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow. But if He knows I am going to do so-and-so, how can I be free to do otherwise?

“I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Father’s practical guide for happy living,” Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary general president, said at a devotional held at BYU Education Week.

I remember many years ago, long before I had children, attending a religious lecture by a prominent religious scholar who taught at BYU. The topic of the lecture was agency. During the lecture, this religious professor indicated that most LDS parents only want their kids to get to a level three in personal faith development and not a level five. As soon as he said this, there was a rumble of protest in the audience, implying, “Of course we want our kids to get to level five.” Then the presenter went on to explain what he meant by a level five: "Level five means that you have the faith to allow your kids to find their own paths, to find their own testimonies, to ask hard questions, to wonder what they feel, struggle with personal beliefs, and on some occasions even choose to believe differently than you do.”

When it comes to making big decisions, finding answers to questions, or searching for solutions, we know that seeking revelation is vital. But sometimes as we are pondering and seeking, we find that instead we are overthinking and worrying. Our fears and anxieties dominate our thoughts, and worries spiral to the point that we are unable to receive the heavenly direction we need.

It's been said that the most dangerous thing is to have no dream at all. But how does one come up with the right kind of dream? It’s a good question, one that I had when I was preparing for college. My dad helped me answer it. He taught me that your guess about a dream career should take into account what you think about when you’re not required to think about anything.

Several months ago, I received one of those phone calls most parents hope they never receive. This phone call arrived at three in the morning and began with, “Mom, I need to tell you something, and I need you to promise me you won’t get mad.” To such a statement I grabbed hold of the bed, said a quick prayer, and said, “Okay . . . what do you need to tell me?” My son then proceeded to tell me the mistake he had made.

An understanding of scripture can help us see why this phrase is not longer used in the Church.

After changing my major three times in college, I was sold on journalism as my career goal. However, while I was looking at the job salary for journalists, I realized that I would not be able to save much money in my newly chosen career. My anxiety rose and my mind started spinning. “Should I change my career goal? Is it too late to become a nurse or engineer?” While my brain was filled with fearful thoughts about the future, the advice I’d received from my therapist reminded me that I need to calm down and realize that it was my fear that was creating these doubts in my mind.

When we struggle with our confidence and self-perception, we often feel as though we don’t have many choices, that our options are limited. But when we gain God’s Perspective, we begin to see the bounty of opportunities before us.

Tiana Swank shares how she learned that even amidst life's greatest trials, we are meant to have joy, and that happiness is something we have to choose.

In virtually all of us, there is some sort of innate yearning to know what was before this life and how it affects us here.

We live in a world of choices; from the clothes we wear to the language we use, everything is a choice. But there's one choice, one truth we should always seek.

The following is adapted from the newly released book Answers Will Come: Trusting the Lord in the Meantimeby Shalissa Lindsay.

Have you ever gone to your favorite restaurant and made your order from a secret menu, one that is not published or advertised, but that will be honored upon request?

As a child, I counted down the days until I would turn 12 and graduate from Primary. The worst part of Primary for me was the singing. I hated to sing. The only exception to this rule was when we sang: “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.” I always knew I would be a missionary—only a few simple things stood in my way. I never imagined one of those barriers would be my parents.

When people tell you that you have some important lesson to learn from your suffering, politely tell them, “No, I have something important to teach.”

This lesson on Choice & Accountability is the first in an 8-part FHE series featuring the Young Women's values. Get the other 7 lessons here.

I recently read a fascinating article by Mette Harrison in Religion News Service. She described Latter-day Saint beliefs about the premortal existence—Heavenly Father and our Savior's plan versus Satan's plan, the war in heaven, and the role agency had to play in these events.

As Latter-day Saints, we love the idea of agency and the ability to choose, except when we don't. When we have to buckle down and finally take responsibility after failure, so often we revert to other ideas that make it seem like the choice was out of our control.

At the beginning of this month, President Henry B. Eyring shared an unexpected story about a grandmother traveling to see her grandson in jail. While overwhelmed by heartbreak and wondering, this sweet woman received inspiration that teaches us about the reality of agency, the power of the atonement, and the overarching reach of God's infinite love.

What a great story and reminder that even the little decisions we make can make a difference in our lives.

My first encounter with pornography was when I was about 9 years old. I was visiting my best friend who lived on a dude ranch. She always had more information than I did about the mysterious things of the world, and she told me that she knew that one of the employees on the ranch had a stack of magazines with pictures of naked ladies in it.

Truth: One of the biggest regrets of my life is that I didn’t serve a full-time mission for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Karen Petitt is a devoted Latter-day Saint, a proud mother, a photographer, and an artist at heart—not to mention an avid fan of ABC's Once Upon a Time. Until recently, all of these hobbies and roles represented different facets of Petitt's life. But, last year, Pettit found a way to weave them all together in one meaningful project: Value Quest.

MR says: Where do you stand? Would you rather choose to believe or choose to doubt?

On April 27, 1915, President Joseph F. Smith and the First Presidency urged members to create a “home evening,” where family members could gather together and learn gospel principles, read the scriptures, sing hymns, and learning about their duties to their families, the Church, society and the nation.

Dear S.,