And here it is. It's long, but it's a good place to keep it for my records! :)
Choice & Accountability
“Next to life itself, free agency is God’s greatest gift, providing the greatest opportunity for the children of God to advance in mortality.” Harold B. Lee
Every Sunday we stand in Young Women and say the Young Women Theme. Part of that theme are 8 values which we proclaim we are striving to live. One of those values is Choice & Accountability. The “value statement” that goes along with Choice & Accountability says; “I will remain free by choosing good over evil and will accept responsibility for my choices.” That’s a pretty powerful statement; one that I think is worth diving deeper into.
I will remain free:
“It is the purpose of the Lord that man become like him. In order for man to achieve this it was necessary for the Creator first to make him free.” David O McKay
The Lord made us free, free to choose. However, we are not free to choose the consequences. There are natural consequences. If you touch a hot stove whether accidently or on purpose you still have the same consequence- you will be burned. If you run in front of a car even if trying to save another’s life you still will be hurt. We are subject to natural laws regardless of who we are or what our intentions might be. We cannot change the laws of nature.
Knowing this, how do we remain free? Well first of all, we don’t run in front of cars- that takes away all kinds of freedom. But more importantly we are told in Joshua 24:15- Choose you this day whom ye will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Only by choosing good over evil, by choosing to serve the Lord, can we stay truly free. Satan would have us believe that to be free and enjoy life, a person must be able to an anything they want. Satan tells us that we can think as we want, act as we want and do so with out suffering any consequences.
Unlike touching a hot stove, when we make wrong choices the consequences are not always immediate. But sin always brings bondage, eventually, not freedom.
N. Eldon Tanner said; “All the laws of God and the laws of nature and the laws of the land are made for the benefit of man, for his comfort, enjoyment, safety and wellbeing; and it is up to the individual to learn these laws and to determine whether or not he will enjoy these benefits by obeying the law and by keeping the commandments.”
I will remain free
By Choosing good over evil:
How do we choose good over evil?
It takes Courage! Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” - Joshua was told 3 times in less than 6 verses to be courageous, and he was a great leader and man. Imagine how much a normal person such as me needs to work on being courageous! Where do we get that courage?
Our family has had many opportunities to go inside the Minnetonka cave and I think each time as we get into the deepest part of the cave the lights are turned out and we experience total darkness. This is how it would be if there were no light, we can’t even see our hands in front of our faces. The guide then asks us to all point the direction that we will go to leave the cave. The lights are turned on; everyone seems to be pointing in all different directions. Without light to guide us we would have totally lost our way.
In John 8:12 Jesus tells us “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” In Josua 1:5 the Lord promises Joshua, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” We too can find courage and strength in the promise that the Lord will always be there for us and never leave us alone.
We need to have faith in and follow Christ. The For Strength of Youth book tells us the way to “go forward with faith”.
• “Get on your knees each day” – pray- how better way is there to know how to choose correctly?
• “Read the scriptures daily” – these are a powerful source of personal revelation
• “ Keep the covenants you made”- whether they be baptismal or temple
• “Be true to the Lord and His church” –in ALL circumstances, even when it is hard!
• “Place the wisdom of the Lord above your own wisdom” – He loves us and wants what is best for us eternally
I will remain free by choosing good over evil
And will Accept Responsibility for my choices:
Perhaps this can be the most difficult part of all. It’s easy to want to blame someone else when we make mistakes. But we can’t- we are responsible for our actions. We make decisions and then we have to have the courage to own those actions.
Sometimes even when we choose good things we have less than favorable outcomes; we may lose friends or be mocked by strangers. But the eternal rewards will be great when we choose the Lord.
Pres. Faust tells about Joan of Arc and the courage and choices of a young girl in the 1400’s.
Young Joan of Arc, one of the great heroines in history, became the unlikely standard-bearer for the French army in the Dark Ages, long before the gospel was restores. Joan had the Light of Christ and also the courage to follow its promptings and make a difference. Joan was a peasant girl who could neither read not write, but she was bright. At 17, sensing her life had a purpose, she left home, determined to help liberate her oppressed country. Naturally, people scoffed at her ideas and thought she was a little crazy, bit in the end she persuaded them to let her have a horse and an escort to go and see the king.
King Charles VII of France had heard about Joan and decided to test her. He slipped into the ranks of the army and let one of his trusted associates occupy the throne. When Joan came into the room, she barely acknowledged the man on the throne, but promptly walked up to Charles and curtsied to him as her king. This so impressed the king that he gave her command over his 12,000 troops. At first the French soldiers did not want to obey her, but when they saw that all who followed her succeeded and all who disregarded her failed, they cam to look upon her as their leader.
Dressed in a suit of white armor and flying her own standard, Joan of Arc liberated the besieged city of Orleans and defeated the English in four other battles. Twice she was wounded, but each time she recovered and went on fighting. Her orders seemed to be those of a military genius. She fought until she was captured by English allies, who sold her to the English for 16,000 francs. She was imprisoned, tried and then burned at the stake.
“Although this is a sad ending, it does not take away from Joan’s greatness. She was courageous enough to follow the person inspiration to which all of us are entitles.
To other girls in the fifteenth century, Joan of Arc seemed to be very different. Don’t be afraid to be different in our century! Sometimes we have to be different in order to maintain Church standards. So I repeat, don’t be afraid to be different, but be as good as you can be. Joan of Arc did not worry about what her friends did, but rather about what she knew she should do.” (Pres. James E Faust)
For Strength of Youth tells us, like Joan of Arc; “You are a child of God with great strength. You have the ability to choose righteousness and happiness, no matter what your circumstances.”
For me, Choice & Accountability has been a cut and dry principle. You make your decisions and you deal with the consequences. But, for the last little while I have been learning something new about this principle. Sometimes when we make decisions and the consequences don’t turn out right, sometimes we need help. Whether that help comes from a neighbor, family member or ward and often it usually comes from our Savior. Humility, is an important part of Choice and accountability. Sometimes it takes a lot of humility to be accountable for our actions. I am grateful that the Lord has provided a way to receive that help. We are not left alone, even when we make wrong choices!
In ending I would like to read the final paragraph of the For Strength of Youth manual- and if each of you doesn’t have one already, go get one tomorrow! There is much wisdom in this little book for adults as well as youth.
“When you do these things, (meaning the 5 ways to go forward with faith) the Lord will make much more out of your life than you can by yourself. He will increase your opportunities, expand your vision, and strengthen you. He will give you the help you need to meet your trials and challenges. You will find true joy as you come to know your Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and feel their love for you.”
I am grateful for the principal of Choice and Accountability. I am grateful I have the opportunity to make choices and one day return to my Heavenly Father. I am especially grateful for my family, for my eternal family, and know that because of the covenants Doug and I made in the temple we can be together eternally. The thought of not being with those we love is too much to bear, thankfully the Lord has provided the way for us to be together. I love my Savior. Towards the end of last year I made the comment that I was looking forward to 2009 being over- it was a hard year. But a few weeks later as I prepared and taught a Young Women lesson on Christ the thought occurred to me that I could never wish away 2009 because that was when I really came to know my FRIEND, Jesus Christ. He has carried me and I know he continues to carry me. I am grateful that the Lord has put people around us to help us and to teach us. I am thankful for a loving, inspired Bishop and his counselors. I am thankful for this amazing ward and the love I feel towards the members of this ward and the love and incredible support we feel from the members, thank you!
I know the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know we have a prophet on this earth today to lead and guide us. Most of all I know God lives; I know that Christ lived and died and was resurrected so that we can live eternally and for that testimony I am grateful.
Choice & Accountability
“Next to life itself, free agency is God’s greatest gift, providing the greatest opportunity for the children of God to advance in mortality.” Harold B. Lee
Every Sunday we stand in Young Women and say the Young Women Theme. Part of that theme are 8 values which we proclaim we are striving to live. One of those values is Choice & Accountability. The “value statement” that goes along with Choice & Accountability says; “I will remain free by choosing good over evil and will accept responsibility for my choices.” That’s a pretty powerful statement; one that I think is worth diving deeper into.
I will remain free:
“It is the purpose of the Lord that man become like him. In order for man to achieve this it was necessary for the Creator first to make him free.” David O McKay
The Lord made us free, free to choose. However, we are not free to choose the consequences. There are natural consequences. If you touch a hot stove whether accidently or on purpose you still have the same consequence- you will be burned. If you run in front of a car even if trying to save another’s life you still will be hurt. We are subject to natural laws regardless of who we are or what our intentions might be. We cannot change the laws of nature.
Knowing this, how do we remain free? Well first of all, we don’t run in front of cars- that takes away all kinds of freedom. But more importantly we are told in Joshua 24:15- Choose you this day whom ye will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Only by choosing good over evil, by choosing to serve the Lord, can we stay truly free. Satan would have us believe that to be free and enjoy life, a person must be able to an anything they want. Satan tells us that we can think as we want, act as we want and do so with out suffering any consequences.
Unlike touching a hot stove, when we make wrong choices the consequences are not always immediate. But sin always brings bondage, eventually, not freedom.
N. Eldon Tanner said; “All the laws of God and the laws of nature and the laws of the land are made for the benefit of man, for his comfort, enjoyment, safety and wellbeing; and it is up to the individual to learn these laws and to determine whether or not he will enjoy these benefits by obeying the law and by keeping the commandments.”
I will remain free
By Choosing good over evil:
How do we choose good over evil?
It takes Courage! Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” - Joshua was told 3 times in less than 6 verses to be courageous, and he was a great leader and man. Imagine how much a normal person such as me needs to work on being courageous! Where do we get that courage?
Our family has had many opportunities to go inside the Minnetonka cave and I think each time as we get into the deepest part of the cave the lights are turned out and we experience total darkness. This is how it would be if there were no light, we can’t even see our hands in front of our faces. The guide then asks us to all point the direction that we will go to leave the cave. The lights are turned on; everyone seems to be pointing in all different directions. Without light to guide us we would have totally lost our way.
In John 8:12 Jesus tells us “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” In Josua 1:5 the Lord promises Joshua, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” We too can find courage and strength in the promise that the Lord will always be there for us and never leave us alone.
We need to have faith in and follow Christ. The For Strength of Youth book tells us the way to “go forward with faith”.
• “Get on your knees each day” – pray- how better way is there to know how to choose correctly?
• “Read the scriptures daily” – these are a powerful source of personal revelation
• “ Keep the covenants you made”- whether they be baptismal or temple
• “Be true to the Lord and His church” –in ALL circumstances, even when it is hard!
• “Place the wisdom of the Lord above your own wisdom” – He loves us and wants what is best for us eternally
I will remain free by choosing good over evil
And will Accept Responsibility for my choices:
Perhaps this can be the most difficult part of all. It’s easy to want to blame someone else when we make mistakes. But we can’t- we are responsible for our actions. We make decisions and then we have to have the courage to own those actions.
Sometimes even when we choose good things we have less than favorable outcomes; we may lose friends or be mocked by strangers. But the eternal rewards will be great when we choose the Lord.
Pres. Faust tells about Joan of Arc and the courage and choices of a young girl in the 1400’s.
Young Joan of Arc, one of the great heroines in history, became the unlikely standard-bearer for the French army in the Dark Ages, long before the gospel was restores. Joan had the Light of Christ and also the courage to follow its promptings and make a difference. Joan was a peasant girl who could neither read not write, but she was bright. At 17, sensing her life had a purpose, she left home, determined to help liberate her oppressed country. Naturally, people scoffed at her ideas and thought she was a little crazy, bit in the end she persuaded them to let her have a horse and an escort to go and see the king.
King Charles VII of France had heard about Joan and decided to test her. He slipped into the ranks of the army and let one of his trusted associates occupy the throne. When Joan came into the room, she barely acknowledged the man on the throne, but promptly walked up to Charles and curtsied to him as her king. This so impressed the king that he gave her command over his 12,000 troops. At first the French soldiers did not want to obey her, but when they saw that all who followed her succeeded and all who disregarded her failed, they cam to look upon her as their leader.
Dressed in a suit of white armor and flying her own standard, Joan of Arc liberated the besieged city of Orleans and defeated the English in four other battles. Twice she was wounded, but each time she recovered and went on fighting. Her orders seemed to be those of a military genius. She fought until she was captured by English allies, who sold her to the English for 16,000 francs. She was imprisoned, tried and then burned at the stake.
“Although this is a sad ending, it does not take away from Joan’s greatness. She was courageous enough to follow the person inspiration to which all of us are entitles.
To other girls in the fifteenth century, Joan of Arc seemed to be very different. Don’t be afraid to be different in our century! Sometimes we have to be different in order to maintain Church standards. So I repeat, don’t be afraid to be different, but be as good as you can be. Joan of Arc did not worry about what her friends did, but rather about what she knew she should do.” (Pres. James E Faust)
For Strength of Youth tells us, like Joan of Arc; “You are a child of God with great strength. You have the ability to choose righteousness and happiness, no matter what your circumstances.”
For me, Choice & Accountability has been a cut and dry principle. You make your decisions and you deal with the consequences. But, for the last little while I have been learning something new about this principle. Sometimes when we make decisions and the consequences don’t turn out right, sometimes we need help. Whether that help comes from a neighbor, family member or ward and often it usually comes from our Savior. Humility, is an important part of Choice and accountability. Sometimes it takes a lot of humility to be accountable for our actions. I am grateful that the Lord has provided a way to receive that help. We are not left alone, even when we make wrong choices!
In ending I would like to read the final paragraph of the For Strength of Youth manual- and if each of you doesn’t have one already, go get one tomorrow! There is much wisdom in this little book for adults as well as youth.
“When you do these things, (meaning the 5 ways to go forward with faith) the Lord will make much more out of your life than you can by yourself. He will increase your opportunities, expand your vision, and strengthen you. He will give you the help you need to meet your trials and challenges. You will find true joy as you come to know your Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and feel their love for you.”
I am grateful for the principal of Choice and Accountability. I am grateful I have the opportunity to make choices and one day return to my Heavenly Father. I am especially grateful for my family, for my eternal family, and know that because of the covenants Doug and I made in the temple we can be together eternally. The thought of not being with those we love is too much to bear, thankfully the Lord has provided the way for us to be together. I love my Savior. Towards the end of last year I made the comment that I was looking forward to 2009 being over- it was a hard year. But a few weeks later as I prepared and taught a Young Women lesson on Christ the thought occurred to me that I could never wish away 2009 because that was when I really came to know my FRIEND, Jesus Christ. He has carried me and I know he continues to carry me. I am grateful that the Lord has put people around us to help us and to teach us. I am thankful for a loving, inspired Bishop and his counselors. I am thankful for this amazing ward and the love I feel towards the members of this ward and the love and incredible support we feel from the members, thank you!
I know the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know we have a prophet on this earth today to lead and guide us. Most of all I know God lives; I know that Christ lived and died and was resurrected so that we can live eternally and for that testimony I am grateful.
