The Burden of Agency

This week was good, kinda slow as the transfer wraps up. I've been studying agency this week. There's a great talk by Elder Christofferson where he discusses how agency requires objective truth to have any function: 

To those who believe anything or everything could be true, the declaration of objective, fixed, and universal truth feels like coercion—“I shouldn’t be forced to believe something is true that I don’t like.” But that does not change reality. Resenting the law of gravity won’t keep a person from falling if he steps off a cliff. The same is true for eternal law and justice. Freedom comes not from resisting it but from applying it. That is fundamental to God’s own power. If it were not for the reality of fixed and immutable truths, the gift of agency would be meaningless since we would never be able to foresee and intend the consequences of our actions. As Lehi expressed it: “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.”

He says that because we have agency, and because immutable laws exist, we are "able to foresee and intend the consequences of our actions."

That's the gift of agency. So when we don't intend a consequence, we have given up our agency. Agency is the ultimate leveler-- those that master it get everything they want. Those that don't, become subject to the whims of those that do. Interestingly, within the restored church of Jesus Christ we are taught to use our agency to lift those who have limited theirs. We fast and we serve and we lift the brokenhearted. 

"[B]ehold, 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" (Helaman 14:30.)

Freedom is a pretty scary thing. It requires accountability. It means we cannot claim external interference. It's up to us. I've taught a lot of people on my mission who believe that things are up to their spouse or their employer or God. They say things like, "if I'm supposed to join your church, God will make it happen."

They believe that God is a benevolent captor not a loving freedom-giving Heavenly Father. I think I've felt this way at times. My life has changed as I've heeded the prophet's advice to "find out who God is and how he works." As daunting of the task mortality is, I've come to realize that I wouldn't have it any other way. His plan is perfect, and he is divine. I love Him and you guys! 

-Elder Dahl

The Desire to Believe

We had zone conference this week. The second one of the transfer in order to get them back on schedule. It was really fun to see everyone and learn from President and Sister Richardson. They are awesome and help me become better. I'm so grateful for their long suffering. Being a mission president is probably the hardest calling in the Church. We learned a lot about how discipleship is changing us to fit God's kingdom and not changing the Church to fit us. That takes a lot of humility and self-awareness. I've been trying to make sure my teaching is structured in that same way-- that I'm giving people the tools they need to become enlarged and not trying to lower the requirements that God has for them. I've been pretty reflective lately. I have a bunch of flashbacks to moments on my mission and they feel like they happened forever ago. 

I've been studying the destination recently. What will the next life be like? What are we aiming to become in that life and in this? Beginning with the end in mind and all that. I've gained so much appreciation for those people that are striving-- that get up again and again even when they have every reason not to. I want to be more like that. I think heaven will be everything we hope for and a lot more. The scriptures say that those who inhabit heaven are those who "shall overcome all things." Interesting future tense-- not those who have overcome all things in mortality but those who, when their capacity is enlarged, will. It seems to me that all that you need to overcome something is the desire to do so and time and resources. As we extend into eternity, presumably our time and resources will be infinite. So all we personally need is the desire. Alma illustrates this:

But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

It seems that a desire to believe ultimately manifests in belief. What a gift then that God has given us the desire to grow and improve. All we have to do is not quench it. We have to desire to be perfect even as He is. To live as he lives and do as He does. Hence why we are told we will be judged by the desires of our hearts. My favorite scripture reads:

I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

You're going to get what you want! Just make sure you know what you should want. ;)

Love you guys! 

The Quickened Spirit

The holidays are so much fun, it's nice to be able to celebrate a little bit. We bought a bunch of appetizers for new years so we've been eating pretty unhealthy into the new year. It's pretty surreal to think that my mission is ending. Transfers feel short and time goes by so fast. I've been trying to map out what more I want to accomplish before I go home. I've had such wonderful experiences here, and I'm so grateful that I chose to serve a mission. 

I'm excited to study the New Testament this year!

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" (John 6:53.)

This is just one example of how bold and radical Christ's teachings were. In the sermon on the mount, Christ mostly teaches a satisfying return to the purpose of the law, a massively popular shift from pharasaical interpretations. Then as his audience grows, he introduces teachings that led his disciples to say, "This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" 

He tells the people that have long held the belief that they are chosen and held in favor by the one true God that no one is saved but through him. This is earthshaking! These teachings became so hard that from "that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:66.)

This phenomena is not isolated-- Joseph Smith mirrors this same pattern, as well as president Nelson today. We all can accept truths as divine as long as they resonate with what we already think, but followers of Christ are made in the act of accepting what is sometimes hard to swallow. Anyways, follow the prophet, even when it's hard. He has the words of eternal life for our day. Love you guys!