Agency

There's a lot of thoughts that have been chasing each other around in my head.

I guess it all boils down to agency.

Or the misunderstanding of agency.

When I taught early morning seminary (punishment for not going to all four years as a teen I think?) we studied the Old Testament (which I fell in love with and is one of my favorite books of scripture with it's rich symbolism). I remember a lesson where it was focused on agency. The idea was you'd have a kid pick up a stick and as a result of picking up one end of the stick, they'd automatically get the other end as well.

In Young Women we emphasize several values, among them - Choice AND Accountability.

It frustrates me when I hear people shout that in this Church we have AGENCY! And then they forget to mention that as with any decision we make, there are immediate and long-term consequences. Depending on the choices, there are good and bad consequences.

I think some people honestly believe that this agency means that anything goes, regardless of the laws, guidelines, etc... that the Lord has proscribed. Only, that's not so, and sometimes I wonder if that's the adversary's way of fooling us into this false sense of "let it be", "anything goes", "we're all different".

Sometimes those that trumpet this kind of agency, typically only mean it for their point of view. They mean "free agency for me and my way of life" not you.

The fact is ... we are all free to choose our actions, etc, etc, etc (do you think of Yul Brenner in King and I when you see 'etc' too?)... but we are not free to choose the reaction, the stuff that happens after.

Maybe...when we take into account the "after", we'll pay more attention to the "agency" part.