Choose the Right

When I was thinking about joy this morning I was thinking about how joy comes from making good choices. Freedom of choice is one of the most precious gifts that our Father in Heaven has given us. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they were in a state of innocence. They knew no evil because they knew no good. They didn't know sweet because they didn't know what the bitter was like. To give an example: I love doughnuts. I think they are delicious. I could eat them all the time, any kind of doughnut. I also hate pickles. I have never liked them. They smell bad and taste bad and I always pull them off of fast food restaurant burgers. I would prefer not to eat pickles but if I had never had a pickle, and tasted how bad it was, would I begin to understand how tasty a doughnut really is? Probably not. I would probably still like the doughnut but I wouldn't be able to appreciate it for what it really is. So, in the beginning, Adam and Eve never had to deal with sadness but they never knew how great happiness was. Once they both partook of the fruit, there was a fall from their sinless state, and sin was introduced. Instead of looking at this as a way to make us miserable we understand from the Book of Mormon that, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25, pg. 59). We now can choose evil, but we can also choose good, which was all part of our Heavenly Father's Plan. "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, pg. 59).

  If you ever look at Mormon's hand you might notice something, other than a wedding ring. Not everyone, but most, Mormon's have a "CTR ring". This isn't something that we have to wear but it is something that we choose to wear because the initial stand for "Choose the Right". It is there are a reminder to make the correct choice. Choices come to us every day, every hour, every minute. It often reminds me of the Disney movie "Pocahontas". As Pocahontas is canoeing down the river she comes to a split in her path where she has to decide which way she wants to go. She can choose the smooth steady course, or the raging river. There are many ways we can turn our lives, and many paths we can choose from but my message today is that when we choose the path of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will experience the joy that He has waiting for us at the end. And even if, sometime, we choose the wrong path, our Savior's sacrifice for us makes it possible to get back on the right path. I'm so grateful for our freedom to choose. I'm grateful that our Heavenly Father provides ways for us to know which way is the right way by providing prophets, families, and the scriptures to guide us on our journey back home.