Why do the choices I make matter?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Heavenly Father has given us moral agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves. While we are free to make our own choices, we cannot choose the consequences of those choices. Good choices lead to lasting happiness and eternal life. If we ask Him, Heavenly Father will help us make wise choices.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Joshua 24:15 (We can choose to serve the Lord)

• John 14:15 (Our good choices show our love for Heavenly Father and our desire to do His will)

• 2 Nephi 2:16, 27; Helaman 14:30–31 (We are free to choose and act for ourselves)

• Moroni 7:14–15 (It is given to us to judge between good and evil)

• Gary B. Sabin, “Stand Up Inside and Be All In,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 52–55

• Thomas S. Monson, “Choices,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 86

• Dallin H. Oaks, “Small and Simple Things,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 89–92

• “Choice and Accountability,” Personal Progress, 46–49

• “Agency,” True to the Faith (2004), 12–13

• “Agency and Accountability” and “Music and Dancing,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), 2–3, 22–23

• “Stay within the Lines” (video)

• “No Regrets” (video)

• “Leave the Party” (video)

• “Dangerous Tides” (video)

• “Going to Grandma’s” (video)

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What experiences from your life have taught you about agency? How have you learned to make good choices in your own life?

What choices are the young women faced with? What can you teach them to help them see the importance of making good choices?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior taught others to love and serve by loving and serving them. He taught them to pray by praying with them and for them. To His disciples He said, “Come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). He taught the Nephites to be “even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27). His example was His most powerful method of teaching. What can you do to teach by example?

Video: “Share Stories and Examples”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

• What do you think it means to be “all in”? What do you think it means to “stand up inside”? Invite the young women to read the examples and stories Elder Gary B. Sabin used to define these phrases in his talk “Stand Up Inside and Be All In.” What are some spiritual things that people might do half-heartedly? How can we choose to be spiritually “all in”? It might be fun for the young women to create Mormonads using the phrases “stand up inside” or “all in” and the examples Elder Sabin gave. They could also incorporate their own examples.

• Invite each young woman to silently read “Agency and Accountability” in For the Strength of Youth and share what impresses her. Class members could then choose another standard in the book and share some choices they’ve made in relation to that standard and the blessings that came from their choices. For example, they could read “Music and Dancing” in For the Strength of Youth and discuss the blessings they’ve received from following the counsel to avoid unwholesome music and dancing.

• Give each young woman a section of President Dallin H. Oaks’s message “Small and Simple Things” to read on their own. Then invite them to share their insights in small groups or with the entire class. What do they learn about the consequences of small and simple choices? Discuss how the counsel they have studied could help them make better choices. How do our daily choices affect our ability to be led by the Holy Ghost?

• Invite each young woman to find an example of someone making a choice in the scriptures (for example, they could contrast the choices of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42). What were the consequences of these choices? How did the choices affect others?

• Show one of the videos suggested in this outline. Invite the young women to look for the consequences of the choices the people in the video made. Ask them to share what they find. Invite them to share experiences in which they made a choice that had far-reaching consequences. Invite each young woman to read one of the scriptures in this outline and share how it can help her make the right choices in the future.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

• Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.