Acting for Myself

In his final counsel to his family, Lehi teaches an important principle: God intended for his children to be agents, to take initiative and make things happen.

There is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon….

Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself.

2 Nephi 2:14, 16

Commenting on this passage, Elder David A. Bednar said:

In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:13–14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon.

“And Nothing Shall Offend Them,” General Conference, October 2006

Lehi went on to explain how God placed us in a position to exercise agency. First, He placed us in an environment where we would face opposition and would therefore be able to make genuine choices. This aspect of our mortal lives was initiated by the Fall of Adam and Eve. (See 2 Nephi 2:11-25.) Second, He sent a Messiah to make it possible for us to overcome the effects of the Fall:

The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

2 Nephi 2:26, italics added

Elder Bednar has spoken many times about how this principle applies in our lives. Here are some applications he has identified:

• We can choose how we will respond to unkind words or actions. “To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else” (“And Nothing Shall Offend Them,” General Conference, October 2006, italics in original).
• We can seek for the companionship of the Holy Ghost every day. “These four words—’Receive the Holy Ghost’—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon” (“Receive the Holy Ghost,” October 2010).
• We can exercise faith in God and work diligently even in an environment of incomplete information. “In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives, God requires us to do our best, to act and not be acted upon, and to trust in Him” (“The Spirit of Revelation,” General Conference, April 2011).
• We can take initiative in our callings instead of waiting to be told what to do. “As bearers of God’s holy authority, we are agents to act and not objects to be acted upon. The priesthood is inherently active rather than passive” (“The Powers of Heaven,” General Conference, April 2012).
• We can engage learners instead of spoon-feeding them. “Are you and I helping our children become agents who act and seek learning by study and by faith, or have we trained our children to wait to be taught and acted upon?” (“Watching with All Perseverance,” General Conference, April 2010). “Parents and leaders, please help your children and youth to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. But do not overly program this endeavor or provide too much detailed information or training. Invite young people to explore, to experiment, and to learn for themselves” (“The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” General Conference, October 2011).
• We receive God’s enabling power by asking Him to strengthen us, not by pleading with Him to solve problems on our behalf. “We…will pray for the strength to learn from, change, or accept our circumstances rather than praying relentlessly for God to change our circumstances according to our will” (“Bear up Their Burdens with Ease,” General Conference, April 2014).

Today, I will be an agent. I will act for myself, and not wait to be acted upon. I will choose to experience the growth that comes from taking initiative, making decisions, and dedicating time and energy to meaningful activities.