Lesson 5 Pathway Gathering

I began by writing a personal thought that I had about acting in faith, as acting in faith is most definitely making a decision. I said that we should do things that are righteous and help us to do good things and we also need to make sure that we don't allow our fear to stop us from acting in faith. That was followed by writing about the three R's of decision making; right, responsibility, and results and I wrote that we alone are responsible for making sure that we use all the R's wisely and frequently so that our agency is not lost to apathy or to Satan's frequent, but very subtle attempts to trap us in bad decisions.

I then wrote a personal thought on habits and how habits can impair the proper use of the decision making process. I said that when it comes to habits, people have become so set in their ways that they become dependent on behaviors that might not be what is good, but what has become such a part of daily life that to try and make the decision to stop would be pure agony. When we become too comfortable with habits, we lose our ability to make a decision and it turns into an addiction that will more than likely require some sort of help to kick.

I then wrote about making correct choices and that a choice is a conscious decision, but that making a correct decision involves prayer and inspiration. I then went on to write that the scriptures have said that when a decision is correct, we will feel that it is correct, but if a decision is incorrect, we will have a stupor of thought about it. If we use our agency properly when it comes to small decisions, I wrote, it will more likely be easier for us to use our agency when it comes to making bigger decisions.

I then wrote a bit about the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) formula came next and I touched on the eight points in Elder Ballard's talk to explain the importance of balance in life so that when it comes to making decisions, we have the coherence to make good ones instead of being distracted by what is not right in our lives. I did the last part privately, as we ran out of time to actually discuss Elder Ballard's talk in class.