Lesson for February 8, 2015

Lesson for February 8, 2015 Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp on Chapter 3 on “Freedom of Choice—An Eternal Principle.” What comes to mind when you hear the word “agency”? Choice. CIA. Freedom. Responsibility. Consequences. Accountability. Power. Rebellion. Conflict. Repentance. Respect. Willingness. Irrevocable. Influence. Example. Agency comes from a Latin word that means to do, to drive. It is the epitome of action. The lesson encourages us to use our agency wisely. Maggie gave us some stories and she wants us to gain insights, learn about making choices, and make application to our own lives. The first story is about the war in heaven in Moses. The Lord told Moses that Satan said he had a plan and not one soul shall be lost, but Jesus said his plan was God’s plan and it was the Father’s plan, so Satan rebelled and was cast down. From this story we learn about agency and that Heavenly Father did not make Satan do what he wanted him to. We learn that we need to make the right choice or we will have bad consequences. Notice that all of Satan's plan was centered around himself. Also, we think of heaven as a beautiful peaceful place, but there was conflict and being able to choose was so important that we fought to keep it. We need to honor other people’s agency. Converts have huge choices to make and they come with work and action. Randy Hickman was a bishop and two members handed him their temple recommends and said it was too hard and said they would be Catholics. Education is a huge part of helping people make informed decisions so knowledge is important. There are stages of giving our children and others their agency and education pays into that. We need to explain and warn and show the consequences. Developmentally important choices are things we as parents need to make. Rules can guide us as we make our choices and deal with others. Heather said she knew she was accountable for her actions. God will only hold us accountable for what we are able to understand, so teaching children before they are old enough to be held accountable. One sister was told by her parents that if she was going to live in their house, she would need to act according to their rules to keep a certain spirit in their house. One of the best things that happens for our children is for them to have children, so they can finally understand accountability. It is important to make good choices and create for ourselves a controlled environment. Life is a test and we need to use our agency to give ourselves an eternal life to look forward to. When working on a farm, something has to be put in to get something out. It’s the law of the harvest. President Benson learned that as a child and that there are some things that can be measured, although there are some things that can’t be measured. Sometimes you have to look back over a long time to measure progress. Staying together as a family and having that loyalty is important. We can’t control what our loved ones do, but we can control what we put into our relationships. Oftentimes in families it is a combination of effort and example. Living our lives as best we can, gives us the best results. There are no private decisions, so our decisions affect all our children and grandchildren and on down. Sister Lopez told her children that they have the same opportunities as any blonde-blue-eyed child, even if they have to struggle a bit. They can be forces for good. Sister Farnworth said that when her son went to medical school, he found that everyone is the same inside. Sometimes we have to let our children make their own mistakes and be perceptive about what the actual problem is, such as something about the problem that may seem little. Sometimes the correct option isn’t offered or taken away and we have to sit back and realize that we need to make a different decision. Sometimes we need to think outside of the box. We also need to trust in God and be active, rather than passive. So whatever is holding us back can be resolved through faith and action.