Seasons of Choice ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 
this post should take four minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional from February 2003, and it is called "Seasons of Choice" by Brother Randall W. Boothe. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Boothe has mentioned; "... Have you noticed how the seasons of our lives move forward in a never-ending stream? ... Our personal choices are different as we pass through each new season. Do you remember how many of your choices as a small child focused on play, on discovering the world and people around you, and on simple decisions that made you smile? 

As you grew to the age of accountability and beyond, choices became more critical. The adversary knew this, of course, and worked harder than ever to influence your choices as you matured. Progressing through the seasons of childhood into the teenage years and young adulthood, did you notice that the Spirit has a tremendous capacity to guide you, to lead you to productive, righteous choices? 

And as we qualify ourselves to be led by the Spirit in every season of life, the choices we must make become more clear. Through the spring, summer, fall, and winter of our life, one thing remains constant: we are free to choose. We fought for this right. It is ours. 

No matter how sheltered we may have been in our season of childhood, or how much we may have leaned on loved ones and friends to keep us safe, there come countless times in life when we have to choose for ourselves, when we, alone, face the winds of adversity, when we struggle and stand up to temptation, when we must choose which road to travel and then accept the consequences of that choice. 

Trusted friends cannot always go with us. Parents and teachers will not always be watching. Others are not in a position to make our choices or live our lives. In every season of life we have the opportunity to choose for ourselves. 

... Our Heavenly Father was not about to leave His precious sons and daughters on this earth without a means by which they could grow and learn and search and reach to find their way back to Him. The means by which God planned for our return is our free agency—our personal freedom to choose. ... In today’s world we are literally bombarded with choices. 

"All of life is about choices."

In fact, in recent decades the number of choices in our lives have multiplied many times over. ... Today we may choose to shop in hundreds of stores in convenient shopping malls that are filled to overflowing with merchandise from all over the world.

 With so many choices being required of us every day, we may become weary of choosing. This weariness can place us in a rather dangerous position. ... With marketing teams working around the clock to capture our attention, we may occasionally allow someone else to make choices for us. 

Sometimes, however, our inability to make the right choice threatens the very core of our eternal lives. If we allow ourselves to sit back and “go with the flow” of society, we may be surprised to find ourselves somewhere we do not wish to be.

We frequently encounter heroes in our lives. Their examples of righteousness, faith, service, and love wield a tremendous influence on our choices to become more like them. You know them; they are all around us. ... Today I’d like you to become acquainted with six men and women whose lives have influenced their part of the world in an incredible way because they have consistently exercised their power to choose the right.

Choose to Love

... In 1981 two young men in white shirts and dark, conservative ties volunteered to help her with her work. When the missionaries subsequently taught her about the plan of salvation and spoke of life after death, Julia was deeply moved by the message that she could see her husband, John, again. It made sense. She joined the Church, and the gospel became a great strength to her as she faced more tragedy in her family. 

In the 1990s her grandson happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when gunfire rang through the township, and he was murdered. When Sister Mavimbela’s soul cried out for the healing influence of the Spirit, she left behind the rocky paths of grief and bitterness. Julia Mavimbela chose to love.

Choose to Share

Raj Kumar studied at the University of Punjab in Chandigarh, India. Attending a performance of the Young Ambassadors at his university in 1982, he saw in the faces of our students something different. As he recognized the light of truth and felt the Spirit, he wasted no time in approaching Tom Nelson, our Young Ambassador lighting technician, after the show, asking to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

... Dear brother, before I was baptized in this true church of the Savior, I was very reluctant to tell others that I was a Christian. ... I visit hospitals every Friday and spend about three hours there. I pray for sick people admitted over there and visit from one bed to another, introducing them to the Church and the Lord and distributing tracts. 

As you know, we do not have tracts and pamphlets in Hindi or Punjabi languages. I’ve translated the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith into the Punjabi language. I have applied for the mission. I expect to get the call within a couple of months. You will be glad to know that I have started going to Delhi every weekend to take part in church services. ... [Letter to Tom Nelson from Raj Kumar, 1980]

Brother Raj Kumar received his call and served a mission in Fresno, California. Since his mission he and his wife, Sarala, have been blessed with a beautiful family. Brother Kumar has served as bishop, on the stake high council, and currently is ward mission leader in Toronto, Canada. When blessed to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, Raj Kumar chose to share."

Stay Tuned until next time.