Farewell

Sister Waite's Farewell Talk Given May 27 2012


Desire, Decisions, and Destiny: Agency

Agency is such a crucial part of the plan. We fought for it in the battle of Heaven. Satan wanted our agency limited, but Christ and Heavenly Father wanted us to decide and learn from our choices.

·      Agency is the tool we have to learn and progress more. That is why we are here on this Earth… to progress to become Kings and Queens, if we use the atonement and teaching of the gospel in our lives.

I’d like to talk about three things that I find fascinating and amazing about Agency, as well as what we can do to use our Agency to be happy. They are Desire, Decisions, and Destiny.

Desire

·      Def: To wish or long for; want. It begins with a desire. Dallin H. Oaks, “Desired dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choice, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.”

Alma 29:4 … middle of the verse… “… I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life…”

“Actually, everything depends – initially and finally – on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God. God can ‘educate our desires’. Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the ‘thoughts and intents of our hearts’.” Neal A Maxwell

An example of Desire would be when Aaron, who was a missionary, was teaching the Lamanite King. After he taught about Christ’s atonement for us, and eternal life, the King asked… Alma 22:15-16

The King was willing to give everything he owned and claimed to understand more fully of Christ’s Gospel.

·      How do you get desire like this King?

“When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously.” Dallin H. Oaks

I believe that when we know more of who we are, that we are all sons and daughter of God and he loves us, that we start to understand who we were before we came to Earth.

The more we use Christ’s Atonement for us, we can progressively understand who we are and where we need to go.

Decisions

Alice in Wonderland

Alice: … I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.

Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to.

Alice: Oh, it really matter, as long as…

Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn’t matter which way you go.

·      It DOES matter where we go brothers and sisters. It is important that we know what path we want to take. Once we know where we want to go, decisions are clearer for us. Going along with the Disney theme I want to share my experience on deciding about Disney College Program.

            -Thought about, it was a distant dream

            -A very good friend in my Biology introduced me to her friend

            -Audition, Apply, Interview… BOOM! On a plane… It happened so fast and it wasn’t by coincidence either.

·      When we decide to give up our plan, and submit to Heavenly Father’s will…. We will be happy! I feel like these last six months have really taught me about this principle, seeing that it was not in MY plan to wait 6 months before serving. The plan was go to Disney come home, go strait on the mission… (expound)

“… the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.  The many other things we ‘give’, brother and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give.” Neal A. Maxwell

“… He (Savior) taught us that when we choose to do the will of our heavenly Father, our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase, and we progress.” Robert D. Hales

We all make decisions and they involve consequences.

-Obey commandments. Obey vs. Disobey (Word of Wisdom, Direction…)

·      When we set aside what WE want for what Heavenly Father wants for us, He will never lead us astray. We can control what we choose to follow, but what happens when other’s decisions effect us?

Remember the movie Unstoppable? With Denzel Washington… and they were dealing with a runaway train… imagine that it did wreck…-Train Wreck!

We will all experience train wrecks in our lives. To others who are not apart of the wreck will never be able to empathize what you go through. They see it on the news, hear about it from a friend, and they will feel bad for you. The thing is, we never ask for these train wrecks. The choices that someone else makes does and will everyone around them. It wasn’t what we wanted… but how do we deal with them?

“I can’t stress too strongly that decisions determine destiny. You can’t make eternal decisions without eternal consequences.” Thomas S. Monson

Destiny

When I hear the word destiny I always think of a small green friend I think we all love… Master Yoda said,

“…beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will…” or Darth Vader’s low voice to Luke; “It is your Destiny…”

·      But really, once you get on the path to the dark side, your destiny is no longer for you to determine. Let’s determine our destiny and choose to submit our will for the Father’s. Let’s use the Savior’s atonement. Because the only thing we can ultimately give back to the Savior is our choosing to use the atonement and have the desire to be like him.

“… your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin the to choose eternal life!” Elder Randall K. Bennett

We can develop into the Kings and Queens, we are destined to become because of Agency. We can fulfill our destiny because of our choices…

“… it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.” Dallin H. Oaks

It is from our choices that will be judged at the last day… a pretty daunting thought isn’t it? I know that

“When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that god, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed.  No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked.  When we have bee weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and therefore, let us continue, but with a more determined discipleship.  When we feel, overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that god will not over program us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear.” Neal A. Maxwell