The Worth of A Soul

I recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. Our capitol houses wonderful collections inside the various Smithsonian museums of those objects we deem to be of great worth. Among these, in the Museum of Natural History, is the Hope Diamond. One of the largest diamonds in the world, it is accounted of great worth and is therefore guarded closely to ensure its protection. How interesting it is that this diamond, this piece of compressed coal, should be valued so highly as to ensure its safety and our admiration. In contrast, I was thinking tonight of how little society seems to value life. We hear daily accounts of lives taken throughout the world in wars, natural disasters, or local disputes. How sad it is that this has become so common place that we often do not ponder the deeper implications of the loss of life.

More important still, I've come to realize that while life is important, the blessings of eternal life are more precious than all diamonds in the world. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith God counselled, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. For behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him." (D&C 18:10-11) God is our Heavenly Father and as such He deeply values the lives of each of His children. He paid the ultimate price- sacrificing His only Begotten Son- so that each of us would have the chance to return to Him. It is hard for me to sacrifice those things in my life that I truly care for and desire. Would I be able to sacrifice a child?

But because He has a perfect comprehension of our eternal worth, God proceeded with the plan. We might look past Him, but He never forgets us. Nephi quotes Isaish and states "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath fogotten me-but he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (1 Nephi 21:14-16)

The scriptures are filled with numerous parables and testimonies confirming the worth of the soul. In Matthew, Jesus recounts the parable of the sheep. "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and on eof them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray." (Matt 18:11-13)

I like the verse in Luke 19:10 that states "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Christ not only saves us, He seeks us out to be saved. This is further illustrated in the parable of the piece of silver which reads, "what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the resence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15:8-10)

One of my favorite parables is that of the prodigal son. We know how it goes- disobedient son wastes his inheritence in riotous living, falls into poverty, at first is too proud to return, but then decides that his father will at least treat him as well as the servants and starts home. My favorite verses, however, describe the father's reaction. He has every right to be angry and disappointed but instead this is how he reacts: "But when he (the son) was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

How the father must have loved this wayward son! Firstly, he saw his son a great way off. He must then have been looking for him to return; watching and waiting with faith that his wayward son would come home. Secondly, he had compassion, ran to his son, and kissed him. I love this image. Being in the position of the father, would we have enough love and forgiveness in our hearts to recognize the worth of those that have hurt us? In the place of the son, are we humble enough to ask for forgiveness and return when we've done wrong? When we understand both the worth of others as well as our own worth, we begin to see how God can have charity and understanding when we do wrong. We might not grasp the full measure of our worth, but God does, and I know that He waits with open arms to receive us and longs to bring us safely back home.

John 3:16 states "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Moses 1:39 states "For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." God not only wants us to live forever, He wants us to live like Him and with Him.

Remember the worth of souls is great. In this world where souls are sold for pennies, never think that you have no worth. You are a child of God. You have the capacity to become like him, to live with him. You are of great worth.

Beholding Grace

Sometimes living near BYU has major benefits. Today it was the opportunity I had to go tour the Carl Bloch exhibit currently displayed in the Museum of Art. BYU manage to procure several altar pieces and other paintings from Denmark and they are absolutely beautiful. But the one I find most fascinating is the one I've seen every time I'm in the MOA; Christ Healing at the Pool of Bethesda.

In ancient times, Jewish tradition held that the Pool of Bethesda possessed special healing properties, and that when the water was disturbed by the touch of an angel, the first person in the water would be healed of their infirmities. Because of this, many who were sick or afflicted would gather at the pool and wait for the waters to be troubled. John 5:2-9 tells the story of a man who was there 38 years waiting to be healed, and this is the subject of Bloch's painting. In the painting, Bloch shows Christ lifting the cover of darkness wherein the man resides. The symbology is easily portrayed as a glowing Christ comes as the light of the world to a man who sits in darkness. The still pool in the corner of the painting contrasts with the Living Water who has the power to heal both body and soul.

When viewing the painting, this scripture from Isaiah came to mind: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2). What a perfect metaphor for the healing power of Christ! The light and the life of the world came to earth to cast off the darkness in our lives, and light our path to eternal life. John 1:17 states, "Grace (JST- life) and truth came by Jesus Christ."

To me, this story has always been an poignant example of the grace of Christ. He who condescended below all things purposefully lived His life in order to both understand us and be able to save us. Nephi in a vision was shown the life of Christ, and told about His mission to earth. The angel asked, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?...Behold the Lamb of God, yea even the Son of the Eternal Father. Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?" Nephi answered, "Yea, it is the love of god, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men." (1 Nephi 11:16, 21-22).

Christ is the Living Waters, the Tree of Life, and the epitomy of the grace of Heavenly Father that allows us to gain eternal life. Nephi taught, "It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23). Grace means mercy, benevolence, favor, and good will. Thus, after we've done all we could, God shows us mercy and will make up for our shortcomings.

In a revelation to Joseph Smith we are taught, "Through his Atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved." (D&C 138:4) Of course it is important to try our hardest to live the commandments and keep the covenants we've made, but no one is perfect and no one can be the sole means of their own salvation. Abinadi discoursed on the redemption of man through Christ and stated, "Only in and through Christ can ye be saved...Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord." (Mosiah 16:13,15). Acts 15:11 states "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved." In Ephesians 2:8 we read, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And in 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul taught, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

God's grace, His mercy, is there for all who come unto Him, who believe in Him, and who exercise their faith in Him through humbling themselves and following His commandments. Paul taught the saints in Corinth about the grace of Christ: "My (Christ's) grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) And Moroni taught, "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

Thus, the simple recipe for allowing us to behold the grace of God is to humble ourselves and have faith in the power of the Atonement. Alma taught, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and affliction and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infimities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he many know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)

Christ wants us to be healed by spiritually coming unto Him. As he lifted the veil of darkness off the man at the Pool of Bethesda and healed him physically, Christ's Atonement gave Him the power to heal us from spiritual darkness as well. His grace is sufficient for all men who come unto Him, and He desires to bring each one out of darkness and into the light of eternal life.

There Is Hope

Several months ago I attended a Living Legends fireside and heard a song that stated simply, "There is hope." Although I have since forgotten the rest of the words, I was struck by that powerful, yet simple statement. There is hope. So often it is easy to become discouraged in life. Whether our problems lie in our physical appearance, our social station, or our spiritual standing before God, it seems easier to live in despair rather then put forth the effort to hope for improvement.

However, our Heavenly Father did not put us on this earth to forever feel hopeless, unworth, or unloved. He stated, "This is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) And "men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). If God wants us to have immortality and eternal life, that means he wants us to be as he is. And I believe that if he wants us to have joy, that means He has joy. And we feel true joy in our lives when we have hope.

But what is hope? Defining hope for me is like trying to define salt; I know what it is but it's hard to describe to others. I finally found a definition that I liked that defined an aspect of hope- a person or thing in which expectations are centered. I liked that description because it reminded me in whom I should have hope; my Savior, Jesus Christ. Moroni records, "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection." (Moroni 7:41) It is through the Atonement of Christ that we can change our hearts, repent, and turn again toward our goal of eternal life. And in this, I find hope. Without the Atonement, life would be an endless train of sadness and despair. But with the Atonement, we can see again the light of Christ that shines in a world gone dark.

Nephi counsels, "Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope. " (2 Nephi 31:20) I love the expression "a perfect brightness of hope". When I think of something bright, I think of the sun because it gives light and life to the whole world. And then I think of the true light of the world- God's son. Christ stated, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46) If we believe in Christ and follow His light, then we can have joy in this world and hope in the world to come.

How do we obtain this hope? Moroni again gives the answer- the "Comforter filleth with hope." (Moroni 8:26) In order to gain hope, we must have the Spirit. In order to have the companionship of the spirit, we must do those things which invite his presense into our lives. They're the answers that any primary child would give; pray, read our scriptures, follow the prophet. And yet how often do we do these things "with a sincere heart", and "with real intent" as Moroni admonishes? But as we strive to have the spirit in our lives, we will be filled with hope. And when we have that hope we will be able to give "a reason of the hope that is in us." (1 Peter 3:15) This world is full of darkness and despair, but because of the Atonement there is always hope.

Faith To Be

As I was sitting in sacrament meeting today, I was thinking about Christ and had a sudden flash to the story of the woman with an issue of blood who touched Christ's robe and was healed. I've heard that account numerous times, but I never really appreciated the amount of faith demonstrated by this believing woman. I decided to reread the account found in Matthew 9 and was again struck by the woman's faith as she thought, "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." And then by Jesus's response, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." (Matt 9:20-22)

This story started me thinking about my life, and especially the problems that I seem to dwell on from day to day. They aren't nearly as severe or limiting as was this woman's, and yet I find myself occassionally shying away from the one source that could heal me. Why do we think that the Atonement is true, wonderful, and for everyone but ourselves? That for some reason we do not deserve God's love, mercy, or consideration? In speaking for myself, I've decided it's because sometimes I lack faith. Faith to be healed, faith to be loved, faith to be anything.

Faith is so simple and yet so powerful. As sung in the primary song, faith can be as simple as "knowing the sun will rise each and every day," yet it's powerful enough that Jesus said, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matt 17:20) The woman understood this power and had faith enough to remove the mountain in her life. But how do we accomplish this in our own lives?

First we must have an understanding of what faith is. The Bible Dictionary has entire column dedicated to faith. I'll just hit the highlights here:

1. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true, and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation.

2. Faith is a principle of action and of power.

3. All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge, or it cannot produce the desired results.

First, "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21) And as Moroni states, "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seem; wherefore dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith...wherefore thou [speaking of God] workest after men have faith" (Ether 12:6, 30)

Simply put, we don't just wake up one day and suddenly understand everything in the universe (as convinient as that would be). Some things we will never see in our mortal lives, but that does not mean that they do not exist, or are not true principles. We have been given prophets, apostles, scriptures, and most importantly the Holy Ghost to testify of truth and to help us develop faith. It is through obedience to the gospel, taught by living and ancient prophets, that we develop faith and can see miracles in our own lives. Alma likened developing faith to planting a seed, and as we nurture the seeds of gospel principles our faith in these principles will grow until we have a sure knowledge of their truthfulness. (Alma 32)

Second, faith is a principle of action and power. James states, "Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone." (James 2:17) One of my favorite stories illustrating this principle is found in the story of the handcart companies caught in the early winter storms, and stranded far from Salt Lake City. It was conference and when Brigham Young heard about the plight of these saints, he quickly decided that instead of prayers sent to heaven to help the handcart pioneers, he would do something about it! He quickly explained the problem then cancelled that meetings so the saints in Salt Lake could go out and save the stranded pioneers.

How often are we spiritually stranded, or see others in precarious situations and instead of doing something about it, we sit and think about how great it would be if God would rescue us from our trials. This isn't faith! Faith is having hope that God will assist us in our trials and then going forth and tackling them head on. Imagine if Nephi had done nothing more than thought about going back for the brass plates, and then hoped that God would drop them in his lap without any effort. It sounds ridiculous, but I find myself doing it all the time. We need to take action instead of passively allowing our lives to continue without directionless. God has said that we must act and not be acted upon (2 Nephi 2), and that we will receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. We must be like Nephi and go and do!

Third, we must base our faith on correct knowledge, or it will not produce desired results. I could have faith all I want that I can turn the sun blue (which I think would be a very pretty shade for it), but because that faith is not based on correct knowledge it will never come to pass. One of my favorite bible stories about this is found in 1 Kings 18 and chronicles the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal. Elijah challenged the priests to have their god consume a sacrifice with fire from heaven. If it happened, then Israel could continue worshipping Baal. As the priests in vain tried to get their idolitrous god to respond, Elijah (after thoroughly mocking them in their efforts-love it!) commanded that the sacrifice to Jehovah be completely drenched upon the altar he had built. Then when Elijah prayed to the Lord to accept his righteous sacrifice, the offering was consumed by fire. Elijah based his faith in correct knowledge and was rewarded after showing forth his faith.

Moroni also speaks of other men who placed their faith correctly in Christ and were thereby able to work many miracles (Ether 12). Also, in the famous lecture in Moroni 7 on faith, hope, and charity, Mormon states that "thus by faith, [we can] lay hold upon every good thing" (Moroni 7:25). The point of faith is to enable us to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to return to our Father in Heaven. As we lay hold of this good thing, we will develop the faith needed to overcome our mountains and be healed.

Holding True

Sometimes when I'm trying to make the right choices in life, I feel like Prince Philip; at the edge of a cliff and facing a fire-breathing dragon determined to make me fall. It's hard to see the way to safety when the dragon before you seems too large to conquer. But it is in those moments when the Spirit whispers to me that if I hold true, I will overcome whatever in my life that is striving to bring me down. Flora reminded Prince Philip of the sword of truth held in his hand, and then commanded the sword to "fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!". The death of opposition in our lives probably won't be as dramatic as the downfall of Maleficent, but it can be just as sure if we hold fast and hold true.

But what does it mean to be true? It is used often in the scriptures, and by modern prophets and teachers. I first remember the word true being used to describe the sons of Helaman. "And they were all young men and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all- they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted." (Alma 53:20) In this scripture, being true is portrayed as the most vital of characteristics held by these young men.

Wanting to know an exact definition of true, I looked in the dictionary and found these words used to describe true: reliable, unfailing, sure, firm in allegiance, loyal, faithful, steadfast. I especially loved the last 3- firm in allegiance, loyal, and steadfast. That's always how I pictured the sons of Helaman- consistently doing what they knew to be right. And then I thought about Heavenly Father and Jesus, the best examples of what it means to be true. God is unfailing. He is sure and reliable. God is firm in his allegiance to the principles of the gospel, and is steadfast in His relations with His children.

In the scriptures, Jesus is often described as being true. He "was the true light" (John 1:9). He says of Himself "my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). Jesus taught "he that sent me is true" (John 7:28). He asks "will [ye] not receive the strength and nourishment of the true vine? Yea, will [ye] not come unto the true fold of God?" (1 Nephi 15:15). And He says "I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (D&C 93:2).

So for me, being true requires that I be like God. Firm, reliable, steadfast, and unfailing in my commitment to the truth. But it's one thing to know what it is to be true. It is another thing to hold true. How do we become like the sons of Helaman? Like Stephen who was martyred because he would not deny Christ (Acts 7)? Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego who were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a golden image (Daniel 3)? Or like Joseph Smith who was just a boy when persecution began to rage against him but simply stated "I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for say that I had seen a vision, yet it was true...I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it." (Joseph Smith History 1:25)

President Hinckley said, "We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Each of us has a thing we call a conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong. We do not have to be constucted concerning what is good, and what is evil. To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances."

Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true,/ And it must follow, as the night the day,/ Thou canst not then be false to any man." (Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3).

To hold true we must know what we believe, and we must act on this belief with the best of our abilities. We must have personal virtue. We must be honest. We must always strive to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads back to Heavenly Father.

There are so many stories throughout the scriptures and in the lives of the modern day prophets that reflect an ability to hold true. It's never easy and we often feel as though the dragon that is Satan is thwarting all our efforts to succeed. But if we arm ourselves with the whole armour of God, and hold true to His principles, our swords of truth will also fly swift and sure and we will come off conquerors.

Stories of people who held true:
Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 39-41)
Esther (Esther 2-7)
Job (That whole, big mess- great example!)
Daniel (Daniel 1, 6)
Paul the Apostle (2 Timothy 4:6-8 his final testimony)
Nephi (1 Nephi 3:7- Mr Go and Do)
Captain Moroni (Alma 48:11-17; most of the war chapters)

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates- You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

My friend at work was telling me about a chocolate shop the other day, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that delicious yumminess since :) I love chocolate, and it comes in so many different varieties. Dark, milk, white; with or without nuts, fruits, caramel, and the list goes on and on. I must admit, though, there are a few flavors that don't really float my boat. Everyone has them. They come in those assorted boxes of chocolate that are passed around like wildfire during valentines season and Christmas. It's always a bit nerve wracking having to pick one without knowing what's inside. Will it be heaven on earth for your mouth, or one to put back in the box after you've nibbled off a corner? Not that I've ever done that :)

Well, life's a lot like that box of chocolates. Sometimes there's a guide on the back helping us choose which ones we'd like to try. Other times it's a complete shot in the dark. I guess I've been feeling like I've been taking more shots in the dark lately and my choices seem to follow the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50% chance of getting it right, 90% of the time I get it wrong. It seems the more I try to do what's right, the more lost I feel. In the musical Wicked, Elphaba sings "No good deed goes unpunished. No act of charity goes un-resented." While that might be slightly cynical, it often feels like everything I try to do doesn't turn out. There are trials in my life that I wish I hadn't picked up out of that chocolate box. I wish, after I nibbled off a piece, that I could be done with them and put them back in the box.

Fortunately life doesn't work like that. Why fortunately? Because if it did, we would never grow! There's no way I would continue working through a trial if I didn't have to. Trials are no fun; nobody really wants them. But they're the best ways to learn and increase in faith.

Trials, in one way or another, test our faith. Why does God want to test our faith? He already knows us so well that He can predict our actions, but He wants us to know ourselves. Only when we are tested do we come to learn who we are. If we coasted through life, we'd never know how strong our faith could be. Peter said, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (trials): That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7) Peter is saying that even when we are burdened by many trials and our faith is tested, we should rejoice because overcoming those trials, especially ones that pull us through a refiner's fire, make us acceptable to Christ.

Alma, in talking with his son Helaman, said, "I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3) Alma is saying that God will not take away our trials, but He will support us in our trials and afflictions so that we may eventually return to him.

However, Heavenly Father does not always help us right away. Sometimes He tests our faith in order that we may grow. Moroni states, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6) Sometimes, when I'm in the midst of a trial, it's hard to see the end, the point, the reason why. But Moroni is saying that instead of arguing your situation with God, have faith that He knows what He's doing and that everything will work for your good if you continue making correct choices.

One of my favorite examples of this principle is the story of Zion's Camp. This takes place in 1834, when the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was gathered in 2 places; Kirtland, Ohio where Joseph Smith lived, and Independence Missouri. Mobs combined to drive the saints living in Independence (Zion) out of Jackson County Missouri. The saints had tried to regain their land through legal means, but were unsuccessful. Finally, Joseph Smith was told in a revelation to raise a camp of 500 men to march down to Jackson county and redeem Zion. Exciting, right? :) It's like a story out of the Book of Mormon: righteous men fighting for their wives, religion, land, and freedom just like Captain Moroni.

Well, despite it being a commandment from God that 500 men go, only about 200 finally followed Joseph down to Missouri. Now you would think, this whole camp thing being the Lord's idea, that He would have made it a nice jaunt down to Missouri, followed by a quick smack down on the wicked Missourians. Not so much. Just the trek itself was filled with sickness, murmuring, and bad conditions. And when the party finally reached the Fishing River in Missouri, Joseph received a revelation stating that the Lord was revoking His promise to redeem Zion and that it would have to wait for a season. (D&C 102 and D&C 105).

I must admit my first reaction to hearing that would probably have been along the lines of "What gives?!" (in 19th century slang of course). Why would the Lord ask them to come all that way- about 1000 miles- through trials and suffering and then change His mind? The reason was that the people were not sufficiently prepared to redeem Zion and they needed to learn more before they could return. (D&C 105:9-10)

So was there a point to the trial they underwent? Absolutely! God told Joseph, "But inasmuch as there are those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful. I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering; and it is expedient in me that they should be brought thus far for a trial of their faith." (D&C 105:18-19) The lesson we need to learn from this is that God knows what we need to learn from our trials, and He gives us trials that will increase our faith if we hearken to His words. The outcome might not be anything we expected, but it is what we need. For example, Zion's camp never redeemed Zion; in fact it remains unredeemed in that sense to this day. However, from Zion's camp came the next several prophets of the church, apostles, seventy. The majority of leadership in the church for the next 50 years were members of Zion's camp. The world might call it a failure (and wikipedia does- I looked it up), but to God it was the proving ground for the leaders the church would need to take it across the plains into the Salt Lake Valley.

Christ said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Yes we will have trials in this life. They may not be what we would choose for ourselves, but they all will help us come to the Savior if we hearken to His counsel and have faith. Life may be like that box of chocolates: we never know what's going to come at us next. But we know that mixed in with those trials, are the blessings of that perfect piece of chocolate- eternal life. And I know that if we keep trying, someday we'll receive it.

Additional scriptures:

1 Kings 17

2 Kings 5

Daniel 3

Mosiah 23 and 24

3 Nephi 1

The Power of Choice

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced or cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the Shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

-William Ernest Henley

It may be guessed that I just watched "Invictus" for the first time, and that would be a correct assumption. Nelson Mandela has been one of my heroes since I was in high school. I've always been so impressed that a man, jailed for 30 years, would then choose to lead the country and the people who jailed him in the first place. But he did, and his choice changed the history of an entire nation. I've often wondered how he found it in himself to forgive, to allow himself and others to change. But in that choice of change he showed that he was the master of his fate. He was the captain of his soul.

Choice is greatest gift and blessing given to each person on this earth. Agency is the one possession that is truly ours and cannot be taken away. We always have choice and therefore we always have power, if even only over ourselves. And with this power, we are free.

When Lehi was leaving his final blessings with his sons, he talked with Jacob about the Plan of Salvation and the important role that choice plays in that plan. In 2 Nephi 2:26 Lehi talks about the coming of the Messiah to "redeem the children of men from the fall. And because they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon...". And continuing in verse 27: "Men are free according to the flesh... they are free to choose...".

The power of choice is essential to the Plan of Salvation. In the council in heaven before we came down to earth there were 2 plans. One- Christ's and God's plan- gave us freedom to choose. The other- Lucifer's- took away our ability to choose. Lucifer's might have sounded easier, but it would have taken away our freedom. God's plan is harder, but in it we can grow; for without choice there is no progression.

In 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation that was dubbed the "olive leaf" because it contained so many truths and pieces of wisdom from God. Toward the end of the revelation, after learning about the spirit, light, and learning, is verse 86 which contains the instruction "Abide in the liberty wherewith ye are made free." Our liberty, our agency, is a gift from God that we should abide in.

Abide means to stay within, to stay in the midst of. To me, God is telling us that we should live our lives in such a way that we can always enjoy the blessing of agency. Everything in life is a choice, but everything has a consequence for good or bad. Lehi told his sons that "they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27) Obviously choosing good will lead us toward God, and choosing evil will lead us toward Satan.

But what about choosing gray? What about choosing to sit on the fence and not make a decision? May I suggest that not making a decision is in fact a decision? When we choose not to choose, we have chosen to be acted upon and not to act for ourselves. President Thomas Monson related this story from Alice in Wonderland in a talk on choice.

"Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as Alice...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 the path we follow in this life surely leads to the path we will follow in the next."

Joshua knew about the power of decisions and declared to the entire nation of Israel, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). I hope in my life that I can be less like the wandering Alice and more like Joshua, knowing whom I serve and where I am going. Like William Henley wrote, "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."