"Thy will be done"... "Hagase tu voluntad"

Hello! This is my first blog post since I got back from my mission. Being able to serve in Argentina was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

So today I was reading in Moses 4 about the life before this life when we all lived with our Heavenly Father. In this life, we held a Great Council, where our Father told us that He had a plan, a plan that would give us the chance to be like Him. This plan is known as the Plan of Salvation, the Plan of Redemption, or the Great Plan of Happiness! As it says in Job-- "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy..." (Job 38:7)
But there must be opposition in all things. Lucifer (now called Satan) wanted to change the plan. He wanted to take away our freedom to choose.
He said, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."
Once, someone pointed out the pronouns in this statement: ""Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1)

Thankfully, there was another son, and this is what He said: "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Moses 4:2)
The second Son, Jesus Christ, was chosen to be our Savior and Redeemer. We keep our freedom to choose but have a chance to repent from the wrong choices we make.
More on that later.

For now, I want to focus on what Christ said, and when He said it. He said, "Father, thy will be done." And He said it during a time when another was seeking for power. Rather than combat Satan's idea with a "bigger" and "better" idea, Christ submitted Himself humbly before the Father.
Then I started thinking about the other times that Christ had spoken that phrase.

He said it again in the middle of His mortal ministry when He was surrounded by followers.
"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:2, emphasis added)

Then, when He was alone, in the height of His suffering, He pleaded: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
Isn't it amazing that He used the same humble phrase when He was accepting His mission and when He was fulfilling it? He used it when He ascended above all God's children and when He descended below all things. He used it in good times and in bad.

How am I doing? Am I accepting the will of God? Even when it's hard?
In my hardest times, do I humbly recognize that I might be fulfilling my calling?

I love the Lord, and He loves us. As we submit ourselves to the Father, He will strengthen us for our callings and help us to become better.

No Regrets-- How your Decisions Determine your Destiny

There was a beautiful lesson today in Young Women's. "Why do the Choices I make Matter?" Why do they matter? If there is no tomorrow-- no life after death-- they don't really matter, do they?
Well let's assume that there is life after death*. Now do your choices matter? Well, only if there is a rule for happiness in the next life.
There's a great scripture about people who think that way:
2 Nephi 28:7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

 8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

 9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."

Now here's the response to that line of thinking:

"2 Nephi 2:13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."

From these scriptures, I have obtained a testimony that YES, there is life after death; YES, there is a judgement; and YES, we do need to meet up to the Lord's standards through our choices.
These are some boys who followed their standards, and were blessed exceedingly for their choice:

A big danger in today's society is this philosophy: "There is no right or wrong. What's wrong for you can be right for me, and I don't think it's wrong to get drunk every weekend." Relative morality is dangerous, and it is a false philosophy.
In the Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis, Screwtape tells Wormwood (the devil he is training) that one of the greatest tools the devil has is to tell people that there is no devil. Once they get someone to accept that idea, they can whisper whatever they want to that person, and the person will act on it; never choosing to believe that they are following an evil influence. However, even if they choose to believe it (or rather, to not believe it), that doesn't mean that they don't feel the negative effects in their heart. That is, unless they've numbed themselves.
My dad describes your conscience in this way: it's like a triangle. When you do something wrong, it will give a little turn, and prick you, to tell you that it's wrong. But if you keep on turning that triangle, the edges will wear, until you end up with a circle. It continues to whirl around, trying to warn you of the danger you've stumbled into, but you can't feel it anymore. 

As you make decisions, try to make them so that you can live life with no regrets.

When you watch this video, try to think of ways that the Devil is trying to "lead you carefully down to hell." (For me, it's watching action movies that have swearing and immoral references. That is a standard I have set for myself.)

I know that our decisions really will determine where we go. Where we go in this life, and where we'll go after. It is completely worth it to live with "no regrets." It truly will be easier in the long run to set standards for themselves. We can make it, we can stand up for ourselves!

*https://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-exaltation-teachers-manual/lesson-7-what-happens-after-death?lang=eng
http://www.mormon.org/faq/life-after-death

THE MOUNTAIN-- a journey to salvation

(btw, I'm taking a writing class, which is why many of my recent posts are stories :))

I had grown, and now there was a mountain. My days of innocence had gone, and now I needed to go Home-- the top of the Mountain. 

I wasn't completely certain why this  mountain was mine; after all, there were countless others to choose from. As I scanned the range, I noticed that thought the mountains were different, they all ended in the clouds. 

Behind the clouds was light. 

I looked to my side, to my friend who was to climb this mountain with me. Her mouth hang open as she stared up at it. 

"How will we ever make it?" she asked me. I pointed to the trail, "We just need for follow The Way." 

Before we knew it, we were climbing. The Way was steep and heard. Rocks moved and turned under our feet, creating bruises. Occasionally, we found water and food left for us. There were also signs and notes of encouragement left on the trees; and always counsel never to leave The Way. 

In time, we came to an overlook: a place in the shade with a seat, where we could see how far we'd come, and look up to our goal.  

Then we started moving again. For a while, my friend and I were both optimistic. We both felt energized after the overlook. But when we came to the next deposit of refreshments, my friend refused to join me. 

"I can wait," she said, "I'm still pumped from the overlook." 

"Okay," I said. Worried for her, I ate thoughtfully. 

As we continued, the trail grew harder. My friend insisted on only taking sporadic meals, and soon her strength started to diminish. 

I helped her through the tough spots, and she said she'd eat and drink more, but every time we came to some, she'd just nibble and sip. 

She began to be despondent, and frustrated. 

"Why is the path so hard?" she'd ask me, "Why must we only go 'The Way'?" 

"The Way takes us home," I'd answer, surprised at her questions. "It's the only  Way." 

"Well, what about that  path, over there?" with the arm I wasn't supporting, she pointed off into the trees, where the ground seemed more level, and where a crooked path wound it's way. 

Just then, we came to another overlook. 

"C'mon," I tugged her over to the bench, "Let's rest, and get our bearings." 

Once again, we sat on a bench, and I enjoyed the view. But my friend was jittery, and anxious to explore the crooked path. When we stood again, she went straight into the trees, and onto the path. She gasped, "You've got  to come see this!" 

I hesitated as I reached the edge of The Way. 

"What about food?" I asked. "We'll starve." 

"There's food here, too!" my friend yelled, "And this path take the easy way up he mountain." 

I couldn't let her go off by herself. Maybe I could go convince her to come back, and climb The Way with me. 

Just then, a breeze blew a letter up to my feet. 

No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes, follow The Way. I have gone off onto crooked paths, but they only lead to danger. There is  a Way back to The Way, but it is hard. Trust me, The Way is the only Way. 

(heart) Jen. 

I didn't know Jen, but I knew my friend was in trouble. I had to save her. 

"Wait up!" I called. Already, she'd gone far away. Following, I left The Way. 

As I ran through the trees, I tripped on unseen roots and stones. Soon, I came to a fork in the middle of the road. Which way had my friend gone? 

I shouted her name, but she didn't answer. Fatigued, I looked around for the food she'd mentioned. Finding some, I ate it-- it disappeared in my mouth like a breath. What had I done? 

Then I saw the Way to The Way. By the entrance was another note. 

You've made a mistake, ______. But I've prepared this path for you. You've made it harder than it could've been, but you can still get back home. This Way will lead you home. 

(heart), Your Brother. 

I went. This Way was  hard, but there was real food and water here, and hope! Looking at the thick foliage around me, I knew that this Way had been forged with a  great sacrifice. 

At last, I reached The Way again-- right where I'd left it. I still had scars from my time off the path, but they had healed. I went over to the overlook where I'd last seen my friend. I looked up the Mountain to where Home was, and felt a renewed vigor and dedication to get there. 

I started climbing once more. Although it was still difficult, I had faith that I was heading Home. 

Occasionally, I could see the crooked path; but I also saw pits, cliffs, ledges, and dead ends. I hoped and prayed that my friend would make it back. 

As I was resting at another overlook, I heard someone running up behind me. I turned, and cried for joy! There was my friend! Out of breath and scarred, but happy and strong. I asked her what had happened. 

"After I left The Way, I followed the crooked path to a river. I ate a lot of the food, but it was never enough. The crooked path led through a river, and there was no other way for me to go. I decided I could swim it. I never even got half-way.

"The river pulled me farther and farther down; I struggled for breath! …" my friend shook her head as she stared at the ground. I put my arms around her, and listened. 

"I knew I would be taken down the Mountain, all the way. I didn't want that. I wanted to go Home again. I'd forgotten my goal, and my purpose. But once I remembered and desired it again, the oddest thing happened. Someone gave me strength. I used it, and swam as swiftly as I could for the bank.  

"When I finally got out, I was stained a muddy brown. I found another path, but it seemed different from the crooked paths. Following it, I came to a pond, with a sign that said "Malada," and some hard soap. I knew what to do. I took the soap, and washed up!" 

I looked into my friends eyes: sparkling, looking up at the Mountain. 

"It felt so good to be clean again," she breathed softly. 

"How did you catch up with me so quickly?" I asked her. 

"I ran. I ran all The Way. I ate the food, drank the water, and stopped at every overlook I could," she stood, "And now I'm ready to begin again. Shall we go?" 

So we did. We got up, and climbed the Mountain.

Agency.... what is that?

The agency I'm thinking of isn't specifically business, or anything like that.
This agency is the freedom to choose. God gave us our agency before we were born. Next to the gift of life, agency is the second greatest gift we've ever recieved.
Why is that, you may ask? (You should read the Giver. It's not an LDS book, but it's a story that illustrates what life might be like if our agency were taken away.) The purpose of this life is to show that we will CHOOSE to follow Heavenly Father and His plan. How can we do that if we can't choose?

When we were still innocent spirits, living with our Heavenly Father, He told us about His plan: that we'd come to earth, have bodies, and have a chance to prove that we'd CHOOSE His way. He told us that someone would go to earth and pay the price for us, so that we could repent of our mistakes. After He told us this, someone stood up, and announced that they had a different plan.
This is Lucifer. Satan. His plan took away our agency, and forced us to follow his directions. He would take all the glory for himself.
Then, yet another person stood up.
It was Jesus. Our Savior. He told everyone that God's plan was the perfect plan. He offered Himself as the sacrifice so that we could return.
There was then a war in heaven, and we each CHOSE which side we'd fight for. If you are reading this, you chose the right side-- God's side. I know this, because everyone who fought with God was able to come to earth, and have their agency. 

This is a great scripture illustrating the two main choices we have in this life: 27 Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, 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 ^hmiserable like unto himself.

 28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great ^aMediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; (2 Nephi 2:27-28, Book of Mormon)

Now, just because there's a choice doesn't mean that there are no consequences. Like the scripture says, your choice determines the consequences: liberty and eternal life, or captivity with the devil. 
"For the Strength of Youth" (a book which outlines the standards of the church specifically for teenagers) says this about agency: You are responsible for the choices you make. God is mindful of you and will help you make good choices...
So you aren't alone in your endeavor for righteousness.
Also, "as (you) obey each of (your) Heavenly Father's commandments, (you) grow in wisdom and strength of character. (Your) faith increases. (You) find it easier to make right choices." (Gospel Principles, pg 19.)

I know that if we use our agency wisely and make the right choices, that we will be able to live with God again. I know that He trusted us enough to give us agency. I know that it is possible for EVERYONE to make it Home.