Choice and Agency

Wow!!!

I love how the Spirit can help me learn things in a way so I don't feel offended. Even if I start off feeling offended.

I learned a very, very valuable lesson today about choice and agency and Heavenly Father's patience with us and the need for me...yes ME...to be patient.

I have...much too often...taken offense where offense should NEVER have been taken. And, too often, I've taken things personally whether or not they were meant to be handed out so.

I heard not very long ago, from a wise person, "The only thing you should take personally is the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

Okay, so, my aha!!

In this, life I will be faced with situations where choices affect life...for good or bad, to bless or hinder. I know this sounds black and white...bear with me. I am just learning this principle (Wow! The learning curve at 40 is AMAZING!).

So, knowing this, and knowing that this life is a time of proving, a time of choosing.

I think of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and their choice to take the fruit of good and evil...well, it affected all of us. And here we are. There are many who are taught only a small portion of this principle, that the fall separated us from God...forever. But the missing meat, the missing truth and bulk of this is that Heavenly Father prepared a way back. His son, Jesus Christ. And if we have faith in Him, to repentance, we make covenants that will help us return back to His presence.

Okay, so, today, while I was thinking of choices of others and the gift of agency...Isn't it amazing that Heavenly Father lets us have this very precious gift. Wow!...the Spirit whispered to my spirit that in this life, I will make choices and others will make choices that will have a happy or sad or mean or kind effect on myself and/or others.

When this happens, I don't need to be offended. Because, we are all learning how to use agency. And if the choice that was made was one that caused distress, well, I can forgive this because this life is about learning how to make good choices.

And being 40 and just starting to learn this principle has greater reason for me to be more forgiving and understanding.

A special thank you to all of you who have been patient in my learning. It has been a long time coming to learn this principle!