The right to choose

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And 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)

This is the scripture that came to mind today as I  had my ah-ha moment. Braxton is quite obedient and so good to help me out. He's so good that sometimes he oversteps his bounds with trying to help his brother do the same. Today I was asking Cort to come in the house while I vacuumed up the dirt he dumped from his dump truck onto the carpet. Braxton jumped up to "help" Cort be obedient. I continued to ask Braxton to leave his brother alone, but he just had to help him obey.


Cort allowed Braxton to help him, but as he did I said, "Braxton, sometimes I want Cort to choose to listen all by himself." AH-HA! In that very moment it occurred to me that as adults we often times are guilty of trying to force obedience. How many times have we tried a little too eagerly to "help" someone to the gospel when they are not ready (or help them do anything they are not ready to do for that matter)? The Lord has a plan for everyone, and if he wanted everyone in this world to have the gospel they would. However, we know that his plan includes a choice. Freedom to choose to BELIEVE in Jesus Christ and live with God again or also the freedom to choose NOT to believe.

I have a conviction that there will come a time in the history of men when it will be so plain and clear who Christ truly is and all that He has done for man that it will be easier to believe in Him than not. If you know and understand that concept the urgency to "convert" someone will leave and the desire to love someone as they are will increase. We will understand that while we may not choose the same things for ourselves or our families that we each have that choice to make and it is according to our own understanding and desires that we make those choices.

We should still share our love for the gospel and testify of Christ whether someone is ready or not. We would be well advised to consult the Lord in our efforts and love others how they are right now. If our example leads them to Christ and inspires them to make changes then great! Sure we want our closest friends and family to be happy and have the blessings of the gospel in their lives, but we must remember the old saying that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Invite, encourage, and set an example that is worth following, but above all remember that it is the spirit that converts hearts not man. Trust God's plan and know that as we share His word that He will tell us who is ready to come unto Christ and when. Until then allow others the right to make their own choices and love them regardless of what those choices are. After all the second greatest commandment is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself!" (Matthew 22:39)