Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

This week my thoughts kept coming back to one of our greatest gifts that Heavenly Father has given us. Agency.

What is agency you might ask?

Agency is the ability to choose for ourselves.

Why is the gift of agency so important?

It is important because it allows us to fully choose for ourselves and to be ourselves. Nobody can force us to do anything or to choose anything.

But you see sometimes that is my problem, because I never seem to be able to make up my mind and choose one way or the other. Do I want to eat chicken nuggets or a yummy quesadilla for lunch? Should I wear my tan skirt today or my black one? It is a good thing that I only have one pair of boots or I would have to make a decision about those too! Now are these important life changing decisions? Probably not UNLESS... Ok I got nothing, they are still not very important.

So if I have a hard enough time deciding between things that aren't important, how am I supposed to decide between things that are? I have to know where I want to end up, that's how! President Monson talked about this very thing in a general conference talk. In it he gave a good example:

"Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as is Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”

The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

Unlike Alice, we all know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for by choosing our path, we choose our destination.

Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed—the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny."

Decisions do determine destiny but they aren't the only thing in the equation that equals destiny. Once you decide on your destiny you have to put in the hard work to get there. Simply put:

Decisions + Discipline = Destiny.

So where is it that we want to go? What is our Destiny? It is to return to our Heavenly Father, and to become like Him. That is our destination.

Basically in other words: "happiness is the destination, but it’s also the path. “Peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” D&C 59:23" So what then brings us happiness? It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news, and the joyful way of a disciple of Christ. It is the commandments and example given to us by our Advocate and Mentor, who knows the way because He is the way. And His way is found in the scriptures, in the words of prophets and apostles, and through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.-President Uchtdorf

 So the question to ask then is are you on the right course? Are you becoming the person you were designed to be and wanted to become? Are you making choices that will help you to return to your Father in Heaven? If not, are you willing to make the choice to change? I know that He wants us to return to Him and to Choose the Right! I know He loves us and wants the best for us. I know that He has given us help when we choose the wrong through His Son's INFINITE Atonement. I know I this is what I want. This is what I choose. What do you Choose?