Helaman 14:30-31

And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God has given unto you a knowledge and he has made you free.

He has given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he has given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or you can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

Free agency is a really important concept. It is at the heart of who we are as human beings. Free agency is a gift - and acknowledgement by God himself that we cannot become fully realized as his children unless our destiny is completely our own choice.

This was no simple thing for God to do because in giving us the freedom to choose our own path, we were also given the freedom to make terrible mistakes.

Jesus died so that this gift of agency would be ours. Because of his Atonement, our mistakes will never have ultimate power over us. They will not define us. Rather our response to our mistakes will define us. We always have the choice to change, to learn and to grow.

But with choice comes consequences and we bear the responsibility for not just the choices we make but also the results of those choices.

From the play My Turn on Earth by Carol Lynn Pearson:

I'm the one who writes my own story

I decide the person I'll be

What goes in the plot or what does not

It's pretty much up to me.

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When you choose the very first step on the road you also choose the last

So if you don't like the end of the road, you better back up, you know you better back up fast.

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I also like the hymn: Know This That Every Soul is Free

Know this that every soul is free

To choose his life and what he'll be.

For this eternal truth is given

That God will force no man (human) to heaven.

He'll call, persuade, direct aright

And bless with wisdom, love, and light,

In nameless ways be good and kind

But never force the human mind.

Freedom and reason make us men

Take these away, what are we then?

Mere animals, and just as well

The beast may think of heaven or hell.

May we no more our power abuse

But ways of truth and goodness choose.

Our God is pleased when we improve

His grace and seek his perfect love.

How do we"improve his grace"?

I think the intent of the message is that we are seeking to become like him. Grace is the freely given, unmerited love of God. We need to give that same love to others.