Don't Mess With Agency!

-Choice and Accountability #3-

Agency, or the ability to choose, is one of God's greatest gifts to His children. Read about agency in Joshua 24:15; 2 Nephi 2; and Doctrine and Covenants 82:2-10. With a parent or leader, discuss the blessings and responsibilities of agency. Record in your journal your understanding of agency and the consequences of choices and actions.

       I have always loved the topic of agency, probably because I love to choose for myself! I'm very independent and hate it when others even hint at forcing me or guilt-tripping me into choosing something. Let me guess? You're probably the same way! There's a reason for that, and the scriptures explain why.

       The interesting this is, even though I fight so hard to choose for myself, there are times I still find myself trying to control others. Why do I do this? I don't think I am the only one. I think it stems from a lack of understanding about what agency really is. The more we study and understand it, the more we are able to apply it to ourselves AND to how we treat others. Below are the findings of a study I've been doing on agency, I hope you find in them something that ignites your curiosity and begins you on your own journey to learn about agency.

What is agency?
The ability to act and choose for ourselves. This is a gift from God.

• 2 Nephi 2:16 The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself.

Really, it's only because of the atonement that we even have repentance and salvation as options.

• 2 Nephi 2:26 And the Messiah cometh in the fullness 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.

Thank goodness for that atonement! We would all be forced to choose Satan if it weren't for that.

Why is agency so important?
         We read in Ezekial 18:27 that "when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive."
Our very salvation is based upon choice. Have you ever wondered why "it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance"? Well, you can't CHOOSE to follow a path that you are ignorant, or unaware of.

         Before we came to this earth, Satan tried to take away our agency. (Moses 4:3 "Satan...sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him.") He was planning to force all men to choose righteously! Now what's so bad about that? Everyone would make it back to heaven because we would all choose good!

        But wait...nobody would choose anything. "Man could NOT act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16). Without opposites, there is nothing to choose from.

        The very essence of Godhood is the ability to think, decide, then act. The very foundation of love is based upon choice. My husband loves and stays with me because he has made a choice to do so, and isn't that much more romantic than if I were to chain him up and force him to stay? :)

God cast Satan out of Heaven

How do we react when we feel others would take away our agency?
       Well we know how God reacted. He cast Satan out of his presence because he was threatening the very essence of God's plan. The Plan of Salvation would not exist without agency.

       The whole war in heaven that we talk about was based upon agency. Those who chose Christ wanted to keep and protect their agency. They are also all those who have ever been and will be born on this earth. We learn in Revelation 12: 7 that "Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." We were likely among the angels of Michael.

       We fought to protect our agency. And since Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven to this earth, the war continues here. Even though we have a veil of forgetfulness, I think we continue to protect our agency because part of us remembers how hard we fought before we came here.

       The sad thing is, if somebody tries to force us to do good, we usually choose the only thing we feel we have a choice over--the opposite of what is being forced. That is why it is SO dangerous to "invite" somebody to do good to the point where they feel you are forcing them. There is no more sure way to drive somebody away.

What's the proper way to "invite" rather than force?
       Jesus Christ, of course, is the perfect example of how to do this. The natural man is always trying to force people to act a certain way, even with the best of intentions. But if you look closely at Christ's example, you'll notice he does not guilt-trip us. Neither do many of his prophets.

       My favorite example is when Christ is talking to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, explaining why they should not eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. He says,
         "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto the; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Moses 3:17).

1. So first of all, he makes the instruction, or his hope, clear. Do not eat of that fruit.
2. Then he reminds them that they have a choice whether or not to obey him.
3. Then he explains the reason WHY. Here he explains the consequences of that action. 
4. He leaves. He gives them space. He allows them to exercise their agency and doesn't "hover."

       I think sometimes we get annoyed when people (especially children) ask "why?" too often. We just want them to do it and stop asking! But we know that man cannot be saved in ignorance. Why? Because he must know the reasons behind things in order to make well thought out decisions. The fact that you or your child is always asking "why?" is evidence of your diving nature as a child of God. No other creature on earth asks this question.

The family is the best place for children to learn to choose for themselves.

How are commandments different from being "forced" to choose a certain way?
       I think sometimes we see commandments as rules that are so strict, they feel like a way to force us back to heaven. Perhaps that idea has come from imperfect parents or teachers trying to enforce rules in the home or at church. It is our natural instinct that tempts us to control others.

       However, in Doctrine and Covenants 82:8-9, Christ gives a very clear definition of what a commandment is. He says,
"I give unto you a new commandment, that you may understand my will concerning you; Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation."

       So a commandment from God can also be called directions how we may act before him, in order to receive salvation. Curious. He's only giving us a road map back to him. He hopes we will choose him, but He knows, better than anyone, that forced love is not love at all.

Easter Dinner!

So according to Map my Run I ran 3 1/2 miles the other day. It might have been four because afterwards I ran to Broulims, the local grocery store. But then I walked home because I was tired. and it's hard to run with merchandise.

I got my roommate to take a picture of me after my run

I just wanted to prove that I ran, and I'm feeling good :)

I ended up not running the 10k I'd signed up for in Utah because I had too much homework and didn't finish in time. But it's okay because that same day I got to attend a sealing of a family I taught on my mission and the baptism of my close friend's sister-in-law. It was worth being down in Utah just to be there for those even if I "wasted" 30 dollars on the 10k... I'll do it eventually :)

Right now I'm focusing on learning how to cook healthy, vegan food. I've been vegan for about a week and I love it! I've cooked a lot of fun recipes for my boyfriend and me. My boyfriend resists eating healthy food so I've been trying to find ways to make the healthy things taste good to him. So far it's been pretty successful. Get ready for a ton of recipes. I'll post everything I've tried this week and tell you how they turned out. I'll span it throughout a few posts. By the way, my boyfriend's name is Alaowei. 

I wanted Easter dinner to be really special because my Alaowei's brother was flying in from Nigeria to the states for the first time. Also the airport is like five hours away so they had been driving all day. They seemed to enjoy the dinner--I mean, Alaowei actually ate his whole salad. That is success :) I'm going vegan, but Alaowei's favorite food is shrimp, so I surprised him with that--everything else I cooked for that dinner was vegan though. I made Fettuccine Alfredo, All Hail Kale salad with papaya-ginger dressing, a strawberry drink, and pumpkin spice "cheesecake." 

Yep, there it is :) Fancy.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce 

My roommate Katie gave me this recipe when she found out I was trying to go vegan. It is delicious! It tastes just like Alfredo sauce but without the chest pain afterward :) This is the first time I've tried it. It called for butter and milk but I substituted them with olive oil and coconut milk, which I've written into the recipe. You can substitute the coconut milk for whichever type of milk you prefer. Aparently from the recipe card she gave me, my roommate got this recipe from Pinch of Yum blog. If you try it, let me know how it worked for you! Both my boyfriend and his brother loved it. Of course, I didn't tell them it was vegan until afterward :)

Ingredients

8 large cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

5-6 cups cauliflower florets

6-7 cups vegetable broth or water

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/2 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)

Directions

1. Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Cauliflower: bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain.

3. Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add one cup vegetable broth or cooking liquid, sauteed garlic with oil, salt, pepper, and coconut milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more vegetable broth/water or coconut milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry add a few drops of water, vegetable broth, or olive oil.

Notes

I used vegetable broth, which was delicious, but I didn't like how much I had left over. I think if you boiled the cauliflower in water and then added a cup of vegetable broth to the sauce it would taste the same!

All Hail Kale Salad by The Detoxinista

Apparently the Detoxinista modeled this recipe after a salad at the Veggie Grill, which must be delicious because this salad definitely was! Like I said, my boyfriend actually ate his. And his brother got seconds :). this recipe makes 1.5 cups of dressing.

Ingredients

1/2 cup papaya chunks

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 oz fresh ginger, peeled

2 Tablespoons coconut vinegar (I used red-wine vinegar and it tasted fine)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (or just salt)

1/4 cup water, or more, to thin

Directions

In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth and silky.

To prepare the salad you'll need:

1 bunch curly green kale

Papaya mango salsa from Trader Joe's (or any salsa of choice)

Maple glazed walnuts

Papaya ginger dressing (recipe above)

Shredded cabbage (optional)

1. Remove the kale leaves from the stems, and wash and dry thoroughly. In a medium bowl, toss the shredded cabbage in a bit of the papaya ginger dressing, and coat well. Set aside.

2. The Veggie Grill serves this salad with homemade corn salsa, but the Detoxinista prefers the Trader Joe's papaya mango salsa because it matches the dressing better. I bought a corn salsa from the grocery store that tasted great with it. 

3. Top the kale leaves with a bit of Ginger papaya dressing, then use your hands to massage the dressing well into the leaves. The kale will soften and wilt as you go!

Notes

This is normally an all-kale salad, but my kale didn't wilt as much as I hoped. I added other greens to the salad so as not to scare off the veggie-haters from healthy food. I added spinach and dark romaine lettuce to soften the overall texture of the salad. And it turned out great! I also didn't include the cabbage and therefore skipped step 1. 

Strawberry Drink

No picture, sorry :/

The first time I tasted this was on my mission in the home of a sister from Colombia. I thought it must have been some fancy recipe but it was just strawberries, sugar, and water. This type of drink is something the Hispanics make a lot with different types of fruit. They call it "agua de sabor," meaning water with flavor. It's light, fresh, and delicious because it's made with real fruit! 

Ingredients

1 16 oz bag frozen strawberries (whole or sliced, it doesn't matter)

Water (amount depending on your desired texture)

Sugar (to taste)

Place the strawberries in a blender. Fill the blender a little over 1/3 full with water. Pour in a very small mound of sugar and blend. Add more sugar if you desire. Your guests will never guess how simple it was to make :)

Raw Pumpkin "Cheesecake" by the Detoxinista

I was surprised by how healthy and simultaneously delicious this cheesecake was. Some vegan desserts either taste healthy or aren't healthy. But this one is neither. Don't expect perfect cheesecake texture replication, but it is still delicious, whatever category it belongs to. I definitely recommend this. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashew butter

1/2 cup carrot puree

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 soft medjool dates

2 1/2 Tablespoons raw honey

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

1. If you're making your own cashew butter, throw 2 cups of cashews into a high-powered blender, like a Vita-Mix and blend on low until smooth and creamy.

2. This will make more than you need, so you can either save the rest or put in less cashews to begin with. You can also use store bought cashew butter.

3. Prepare your carrot puree. I threw about 1 1/2 cups of organic baby carrots into my Vita-Mix, and blended them on low for about 1 minute, tamping them down along the way. (You may have a little extra after this, make sure to measure after blending.)

4. Throw all of your ingredients into a mini-food processor and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally. Adjust the flavor to taste.

5. Pour batter into a greased 4" springform pan, or a pan lined with plastic wrap. Place your "cheesecake" in the freezer to set overnight.

6. Slice and serve IMMEDIATELY from the freezer! The texture is perfect when frozen. 

Notes

Before blending my carrots I steamed them, because I don't have a vita-mix. I also added some water to my cashew butter, so it turned out much thinner than it was supposed to, but it still worked. Instead of a pan I simply used a plastic bowl lined with plastic wrap and let it set overnight. However, I don't think the texture was perfect immediately after removal from the freezer. I let mine sit out for at least a half hour before serving. It was too hard directly from the freezer, so I recommend taking it out in advance before serving.

So overall the dinner was a success! I am excited about learning to cook and I'm happy that Alaowei like it. I mean, he's the one that's going to be testing all my experiments! :)

Let me know if you try any of these recipes!!

10k. 6 miles. Let the Race Begin.

So, what do you do when you have homework and it's 12:30 in the morning and you should be in bed?
Write in your blog!
So maybe not procrastinating will have to be one of the values I work on...
Anywho, I discovered the coolest thing the other day. You can do your personal progress online! I guess I'm at the tail end of the generation that's still really impressed by The Internet and all Its capabilities. You may have to have an LDS account to be able to do that. But if you're not LDS and you want to do Personal Progress, just find an LDS Distribution Center and buy yourself a pink personal progress book. They're pretty cheap.

So I've decided on the next thing I want to work on. On March 15th I'm going down to Utah to run in a 10k. Now, you might be thinking that a 10k isn't that hard or that big of a deal. But it is. For me. :)

So I've already purchased the ticket to run in the race which includes a t-shirt and probably a water bottle or something cool. I really hope it does include a water bottle...

So in order to prepare for the 10k I'm going to run every morning. Since it's been about a week since I've run I'll probably start slower tomorrow. I won't time myself. Then I'll pick it up a little from there. This means I need o get to bed earlier...and eat healthier.

This is going to count for my value project in KNOWLEDGE. I only have it in Spanish so I'm going to translate it here as best I can. The recommendation for this value project says:

"Read Doctrine and Covenants 89. Think about what you can do to better your physical health. Develop and follow a regular exercise program and learn to cook and eat healthy foods contributing to a healthy diet"

So it starts tomorrow, everybody. The running and the healthy eating. I'll let you know how it goes!
Are any of you runners? What do you recommend in a runner's diet? How do you build up your endurance? How do you improve your time?
I'd love to hear any of your experiences in doing similar things!

I just completed Choice and Accountability #1!

But really, are you ever done with this one? ;)
Choice and Accountability #1

"A daughter of God can make wise decisions and solve problems. Read 1 Nephi 15:8; 2 Nephi 32:3; Alma 34:19–27; Ether 2–3; and Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9. Follow a pattern of regular scripture study and prayer to receive help in making personal decisions such as choosing good friends, being kind to others, getting up on time, or other decisions. Discuss with a parent or leader how regular scripture study and prayer helped you make correct decisions."

I've been working on this one since December. Right after my mission I was so good at reading my scriptures every day, but somewhere along the way I got busy, I got comfortable, I got distracted...who knows. Then it became a hit and miss practice and I missed the constant guidance of the Spirit.

Now I'm in school and I should be busier than ever to make time for scriptures, but I've noticed something amazing. Even when there's "no time" to read the scriptures, I do it anyway. I make time, I get up earlier, I bring my scriptures to school with me. I've learned that putting the scriptures first in my day is an act of faith. I have to trust that there will be enough time for everything else. And every time, without fail, there is not only enough time for everything else, but time to spare. 

So as far as making decisions goes, reading the scriptures and praying are VITAL!
I read one of my favorite scriptures today:
"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;" (2 Nephi 21:2)

If you have the spirit with you you have wisdom, understanding, counsel, might (power), knowledge, and fear of the Lord (humility). All of those things help in decision making! When I read the scriptures daily I naturally choose things that are better for me! 

Things I've chosen these past few weeks due to more scripture reading and prayer:
--healthier food
--less procrastinating
--good friends
--more creative and proactive choices at work
--waking up earlier
--going to the temple on a regular basis, etc.

When I read the scriptures daily and pray often my decisions are guided by the Lord  :)

What is Personal Progress?

           Personal Progress is a program designed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for young women. Anybody who wants to can do it though! Which is why I am still doing it, even though I'm technically out of the Young Women's organization.

           The Personal Progress program is based on 8 values in which young women complete small activities or projects. Each value has three "required" activities, a list of four additional activities from which young women choose three to complete, and a ten hour project of their choosing. Young women can work at their own pace and complete the program as many times as they choose. It is hoped that they finish it at least once during their time in the Young Women's program which lasts from ages 12 to 18. When a young woman completes her Personal Progress she is presented with a young women's medallion on a chain to wear as a necklace.

The values covered in the Personal Progress program are:
Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability
Good Works
Integrity 
and Virtue

           I know this program is inspired. It helps focus our efforts to live the gospel. Personal Progress is designed in a way that you can do it over and over and grow from it every time. I hope to grow from this "journey" and I hope you'll join me by doing your Personal Progress, too!

Please share your own experiences and ideas with me!!

About Me

Dear Reader,

Thanks for visiting my blog! I've tried writing blogs before, but something always felt wrong about them. Most popular blogs I've read have a theme, and I could never come up with a theme for my own blog. I have broad interests that are seemingly disconnected and when I wrote I felt like things were thrown together and hard to follow. I would lose interest and I thought blogging wasn't for me. One night I realized that if I was going to keep interest in a blog it would have to have something to do with Jesus Christ, because it was when I turned to Him that I was able to deal with and understand my depression. Depression is something I've dealt with all my life. I am lucky to have a father who also went through the same thing. He was able to show me that you can fight it, and we each did so in our own ways. It's something I learned will never completely go away in this life, but with Christ I can understand how to grow from it, and it's not as bad as it used to be. To learn more about depression from a very eloquent speaker, see this TED talk by Andrew Solomon, "Depression, the secret we share."

When I was younger I kept myself from getting depressed by learning lots of new skills. I learned to play the piano, the guitar, the cello; I learned to draw, to write: stories, songs, poetry, plays; I made music videos. Sadly, many of the things I wrote or learned went unfinished and undeveloped because I couldn't hold my interest long enough before falling into indifference we call depression.

But then something wonderful happened. The Lord called me to go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I tried to run from the call, but it was undeniable. For the first time, Christ showed me that I can finish things. Hard things. My mission was the hardest thing I have done so far in my life, and I finished the whole thing, and I tried my best every day. That is when I came to know Christ on a more personal level. Now that I'm finished with my mission I still try to be a missionary and live the gospel because I've realized that it's those things that give me strength and understanding.

A few weeks ago I was lying in bed, almost asleep, when I sat up and thought, "I need to do my personal progress again." It was weird. And then I went back to sleep. The next day during scripture study I got my personal progress book and looked for a goal to start working on. As I flipped through the book I thought, "I need to invite Jamie to do this with me." So I texted her (my lovely neighbor and Relief Society President here at BYU-Idaho). She agreed and bought the new Personal Progress books. Right away she began planning all the projects she wanted to complete for each of the 8 values. I came up with the idea to document my journey through personal progress in a blog. It was the perfect thing, I thought, to combine my love of learning and my love for Christ. And I felt inspired, so who can argue that? :)

Personal Progress is something you can do again and again and it is different every time, because you change, you're different every time. I plan on continuing in this program for the rest of my life. Please join me, if you care to :)

Throughout the journey you'll get to know me better, and I hope to get to know you too! Please leave comments and ideas and tell me about the things you've tried.

Finally, I want you, and the world, to know that I know that Christ lives. God sent him here to live, teach, love, and die for us. He suffered for our sins. He was crucified and rose on the third day. Because of this we will all be resurrected. Because he suffered we can all be perfected. Because of Him we can overcome things like depression and whatever it is that you are facing. I know that this same Christ restored His church again on the earth in the year 1830 as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He did it the same way He's always done it: through a prophet that He calls. This time it was Joseph Smith, and today, Thomas S. Monson, a prophet, leads the church under the direction of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith and contains the words of Christ. I promise that those who read it with real intent will come to know for themselves that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was His chosen servant, and that Christ's church indeed has been restored in our day as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with all the authority and rights that were lost some years after Christ's death. I know this because while reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, the spirit communicated to me that it was true. And it will happen for you, too :)

Love, Kellie Hermansen