Choices

This... Is Elder Coles.  Life is all about choices.  That is one of Gods greatest gifts to us, to be able to choose for ourselves what we will do in life.  In 2 Nephi 2:27 it says "Men are free according to the flesh... 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."  No one likes to be told what to do, and the freedom to choose or our agency is something that is a gift from God, and will never be taken away from us. 

As I review the other things that I have blogged about, they all go back to choices.  Weed didnt have to slide down that hill and cut his head open,  Frent didnt have to speed to the store and get a speeding ticket, and Creston, Zolan and Frent could have jumped into the lake (and they probly should have).  I am so greatful that I can choose for myself what I want to do each day. 

Often times we are faced with hard choices we have to make.  Each day we are faced with situations that cause us to ask ourselves "Am I going to do the right thing, or the easy thing?"  Choosing what is easy (sin, laziness, selfishness) will make life more difficult in the long run. It is hard to do the right thing all the time, because the natural man in us is lazy.  But if we "put off the natural man and become a saint"(Mosiah 3:19) that is when everlasting happiness comes.  I think that Joshua put it best when he said "choose you this day whom ye will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

I am so greatful that I chose to come on a mission.  Being a missionary often requires me to make hard decisions, and to go outside of my comfort zone and teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ  , it can be scary sometimes! and I know I fail to be as bold as I should be and that I can always do better.  But I know that this message is so important, and the more I study it the more I want to proclaim this wonderful message to everyone.