“Making choices is the substance of our lives. We fought a war in heaven over choices. And the great battle goes on in the world today.”
—President Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, Apr. 1996, 76)
We have many choices before us each day. Some of them seem so simple and so unimportant in the grand scheme of things, others seem to hang over us and haunt us as we try to decide what to do. There are decisions that can be made only once, and then stuck to for the rest of our lives. One example is that I made the choice to never drink alcohol or smoke when I was very young. I’ve never had to make that choice again. In every situation that gives me that opportunity, I don’t even have to think about saying no, because I’ve already made that choice.
Examples of choices that seem to hang over us include Who should I marry? What should I study in school? What job should I take? These are very important and life-changing choices. It is important that we remember to pray about them, and make the decision with the help of the Lord. We are counseled in Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” As we make the choice the Lord will let us know that we are making the right one.
There are other little, sometimes seemingly unimportant choices that we make each day. I think these choices often reveal what is truly important to us. Did you take the time to pray and read your scriptures today? Did you speak unkindly of another person? Did you stop and help your child when they asked? It is easy to get so busy that we forget the little things, which are truly important.