Which came first: the Chicken, or the Egg?

We've all heard this question. 

So, which one came first, the chicken or the egg? 

I have no idea. 

In fact, this post has nothing to do with which came first.

But it has a lot to do with chickens and eggs.  Stick with me.  I'm going to compare us to chickens, and then to eggs.  If we are a chicken, then that means we have survived the hatching process, the trial of taking our first steps, the amusement of falling down a few times, and the reward of becoming independent through our choices.

However, if we are an agg, we have very little choice in what we do.  We cannot learn or grow if we are stuck in a shell.  Withough agency, we are unable to progress.

"O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart."
-3 Nephi 10

We are given a choice to be gathered.  Some may choose to stray, but the Father will always be there with open arms, to gather us in. Satans however, wants to keep us from being gathered, from learning of God's love-from making any kind of choice.

"I... have robbed their treasures... and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped."

-Isaiah 10

Satan does not want us to progress.  His goal is to rob us of our agency and happiness.  And of course none opened the mouth or peeped! How could they?  If Satan takes us forcefully down the path of life, then we are not able to progress, or in the case of an egg, even hatch!  We would never learn of our potential to become like the Father, because we would never be given the chance. 

I thought of the many differences between our Heavenly Father's plan of love and redemption, and Lucifer's plan of captivity and damnation.  Our Father's plan for us is so perfect.  He allows us to make our own choices.  He provides a way for us to be safetly gathered home under His loving wing.

Half Way

Today as we were driving along Woodmont Boulevard, we saw a near accident.  A small white Volvo was pulling out of a parking lot onto the main road.  The driver of the Volvo hesitated as they were pulling out.  Why?  Because there was a big yellow BUS heading in the very direction of that little white car!  As the driver of the bus blared her horn, the Volvo sped out of the parking lot and drove away. 

The driver of the Volvo was half way in and half way out. 

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no "half way in, half way out" scenario.  We are either faithful members of His Kingdom, or we are not.  We are either followers and believers, or we are not.  We may fool ourselves at times into thinking that we only need to follow some of the commandments.  We only need to be morally clean sometimes.  We only need to go to church sometimes.  We only need to follow the prophet sometimes. 

This is a false way of thinking!

This is exactly what Satan wants us to think!  We can't be half way in or half way out.  We need to decide now where our loyalty lies.  The prophet Lehi tells his sons:

We have two choices.  Let us be wise and choose liberty and eternal life!

I love the following quote by President Monson:

"You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you.  Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior. . . . Does this make immoral behavior acceptable? Absolutely not! The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable!”

Don't get stuck being half way in or half way out.  Today, that Volvo easily could have been in a terrible accident because he tried to be half way in the lane.  But, just as the car was able to get all the way in the lane-we too can be completely devoted to Jesus Christ.  The way to do that is through repentance.  We can ALL repent!  We can all have liberty and eternal life!  We need to be more wise about our choices, more diligent in our commitment to God, and more valiant when faced with temptations.   

The Ability to Act

Each of us has been given the divine ability to act: to choose how we will think, what we will do, and what we will learn from each situation. 

This is HUGE! 

(so big, I used the biggest font size that blogger would allow me to use, and I also pressed the bold key)

Every day we have to make choices.  Every day people around us make choices.  Life is not about the choices we have in front of us, it's about what we do with those choices. 

Do we idly sit by and just let the world revolve? 

Or do we take an active part in our Heavenly Father's personal plan and move forward with Him in mind?

Our Father tells us in modern revelation,

"It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward."

We should not sit by and wait for the answers to come to us.  We do not learn anything, and we do not receive the reward that Heavenly Father wants to bless us with.  But if we move forward and do our very best to follow His divine commandments, we will receive His blessings and have a greater understanding of His eternal nature and infinite love.  He counsels us,

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

There have been many times in my life, particularly on my mission that I just wait for the Lord to tell me what to do.  In my personal experience, he often tells me to stop waiting and get to work!  I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and because he loves us, He has trusted us to be agents of our own bodies.  It is up to us to decide how to act in each situation.  It is up to us to determine what and who we will be.  The Lord will guide us as we counsel with Him and continue to move forward.