Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation and without it, we would not be able to learn, progress or follow the Savior. With it, we are free to choose liberty and eternal life. Robert D. Hales stated, “Agency allows us to be tested and tried to see whether or not we will endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor. Agency permits us to make faithful, obedient choices that strengthen us so that we can lift and strengthen others.”
Throughout our lives we use our agency to make many decisions big or small, our agency is always there to help us grow. There are three different levels of decision making that we use regarding our agency.

Operational level, this level is the day to day routine decisions. What should I eat today? What should I wear? These are the decisions that our Heavenly Father knows we can make without him. They are simple and we can feel confidant in making those decisions.
I remember when I was a toddler, my mom would always have my clothes laid out. She would always make my lunch. I didn’t have much say during the day. This all changed when I got into elementary school. This was when I got to make more decisions on what I wanted for lunch, what I was going to wear. Which friends I wanted to play with and what books I wanted to read. I felt like I had a lot more freedom to express myself because I had more options. It was the beginning steps in making decisions and everyone goes through that. It gives you the sense of confidence and courage to make more decisions in the future.

The Tactical level in decisions making are those small decisions that can make huge impacts on our lives. Such as Should I go to church this Sunday? Should I read my scriptures today? Do I have to pray at night or can I wait until morning? What college should I attend? These decisions Heavenly Father has given us to help make the more important and bigger decisions of our lives. They are the foundation decisions to make our life align with his will.
When I was younger, my family wasn’t active in the church. It wasn’t a priority to my parents, so for me, it wasn’t important in my life. It wasn’t until high school when I met a very strong family who made the gospel a priority. As I attended their family home evenings, their family dinners, and their family scripture time I felt something change. I wanted the spiritual feelings in my life as I was feeling throughout the time I spent at their house. I started to attend church with them. I started reading my scriptures regularly and attended seminary more often. I saw many of their children choose to go on missions and serve faithfully. This prompted me to follow the spirit as well to serve a mission. The small decisions this family made showed me how I wanted to live my life. They made a huge impact on my life. The small things made the most difference. Seeing their example of making the decision to have the gospel a priority in their lives changed my life forever.

The more advanced level of decision making is the Strategic level. These decisions are long term; they affect and shape the direction of your life. Should I serve a mission? Is this the person I need to marry? Is this the right career move? Should we have another baby? These decisions Heavenly Father needs to be part of. He is there to guide us through these high impact decisions so we can reach our full potential. This level of decision making isn’t always the easiest, but it is the most essential to our eternal progression. They are the most difficult, but the most rewarding.
Parker and I met in Rexburg Idaho right after my mission. We were attending BYU Idaho and happened to work together at the small town Walmart. The only walmart that wasn’t open 24 hours. He had this really flashy yellow car and I needed a ride home one evening. With a little nudge from a coworker he took me home and we have been together since. We weren’t in Idaho long before we moved back home to get married. I swore to my parents I wouldn’t be that girl, and coming home to tell them I was getting married pretty much shocked them.
We lived here in Highland for a year or so after we got married so I could finish school and Parker went through the police academy. After graduation for both of us, we decided the police thing wasn’t Parker’s thing so we headed back up to BYU Idaho for him to finish schooling. Parker and I both found jobs in Idaho falls, bought a house, and made plans to live there forever. The funny thing about “our plans” sometimes it’s not God’s plan.
Heavenly Father had different ideas for our family, and knowing I would never move back to Utah he had to find a way to get me there. Our Heavenly Father knows each of use so well that he always finds ways to get us to do things we don’t want to do kicking and screaming the whole way. So I got pregnant with our son Ryker. Ryker had problems throughout the whole pregnancy with birth defects, but we didn’t think much of it. Until I was 28 weeks, I went in for a regular ultrasound and the doctor found that he wasn’t growing anymore and something was wrong. I was admitted to the hospital in Idaho falls for two weeks.
After the two week Ryker’s heart rate wasn’t normal so they decided it was best if I got life flighted to Utah. For any of you who as always wanted to be life flighted, first of all it’s not free. Second, well let me tell you it was not the most fun. Right when I got to Utah, they did an emergency csection and I had Ryker. Like I said, Heavenly Father has ways to getting us to do things. We sold our house in idaho, found a job here, and experienced the Nicu for 5 months.
We lived in Cleafield for a little over a year and ½ and now we are back here in Highland. Awaiting our big adventure. The last 2 and half years have been crazy. With Ryker’s extra chromosome it’s never a dull moment. After 11 surgeries, many doctors, therapist, many developmental delays, he is still a rock star. Nothing gets in this little guy’s way. Our little miracle man for sure. We made some pretty big decisions over the past 8 years of marriage. Some we much harder then others. But I do know, making each and every one of those hard decisions made my life better. I grow up, I became stronger in the gospel, my testimony has an unwavering foundation. Each hard decisions I made has provided a closer relationship to my heavenly father.

With Ryker our day consists of many small decisions what should he eat? What should he wear? But many more of the harder ones. What doctor is going to be the best for him. What therapy is working? Without the ability to have agency in my life and have my heavenly father by my side those decisions would see so impossible. Ryker wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have agency. We had to make tough decisions that impacted his life. With the guidance of the holy ghost I feel we made the best ones for him. Trusting Heavenly Father and myself to make the right choice has been the key to finding successful solutions for Ryker. Looking back on all the crazy obstacles we have overcome the last two years, I am grateful for the decisions we made early on in our lives. We have had to trust ourselves and the holy ghost that we have made the right decisions. Without taking the steps to make the most correct decisions in the lower two levels throughout our lives, making the life changing ones would have been a lot harder.
I know Heavenly Father loves us. If you ever doubt that, look into my son’s eyes. He is the living testimony that God is real. That he cares. Ryker wouldn’t be here without our Heavenly Father. I know that agency is a huge gift from him. He has blessed us to have the ability to find our way back to him. I am grateful for all the miracles and decisions I am able to make in my life.