We Get to Choose!

 

Over the past few weeks I have been pondering on this song and what it means to me. I wanted to write down my thoughts about it.

A regular theme for me seems to be to be awaken in the night with insights, promptings, inspirations, nerves, or a combination of these things.  One night I was awaken in the very early morning hours and the words to this hymn entered my mind. This is not a hymn I know overly well, but one I have heard before. It's never come to my mind before, so I know it was a little reminder nugget from Heaven. 

As I have pondered over this hymn and the message it shares, it applies to so many situations and all of us.  In the scriptures we learn that Heavenly Father does not wish to control us and prevent us from deciding for ourselves. In Helaman 14:30 it explains the gift of knowledge helps us to be able to choose for ourselves. It says: ..."ye are free, ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." 

When I consider this in reference to all that I have been trying to navigate, and all the judgements and unkind comments that have been said to me in regards to how I am handling and processing everything. I have been empowered with the knowledge that just as everyone else gets to choose the type of person they want to be, and what they think is appropriate to say or do, I get to decide the type of person I want to be. We also know that we will each be held accountable for the choices we make and how we treat others. While we are free to choose, we are not free to choose how we will be held accountable for what we choose.

Over the past weeks, I have made some choices on who I want to be and how I want to go about navigating the path I have now been put on. A path I didn't get to choose, but was placed on. 

I CHOOSE TO:

- Seek and follow guidance from my Heavenly Father

- Be open to whatever he wants me to be open to

- Act in the ways I need to act so that I can receive the blessings he has in store for me

- Trust my intuition and not let others deter me from what I know is right for me and my kids

- To live Heavenly Fathers timeline and not my own or anyone else's

- Not allow myself to live a life stuck in deep despair and sadness

- Live with joy and gratitude

- Never take people for granted that are placed on my path to bless and enrich my life

I believe that we have the ability to choose so much more in our lives than we might think sometimes. We can choose how we grieve. We can choose how we go about our lives day to day. We can choose to give grace and understanding to others. We can choose to be offended and hurt, and we can choose to not be. We can choose to forgive. When we choose to seek the good in others and even in our yuck situations, we can be more like our Savior and emulate his love and light into the world. 

~April