Are We Willing?

Yesterday, I admitted that willingness probably wasn't the strongest factor in how I felt about something I did, but now I wish it had been, as that would have led perfectly into what I wanted to share from the next Conference talk.

In the talked titled "The Sacrament Can Help Us Become Holy," Elder Peter F. Meurs singles out a phrase from the Sacrament prayers that I, too, would like to highlight:

The prayers introduce the covenants with the phrase “that they are willing” (Moroni 4:3). This phrase has so much potential power for us. Are we willing to serve and participate? Are we willing to change? Are we willing to address our weaknesses? Are we willing to reach out and bless others? Are we willing to trust the Savior?

Note that this isn't a question of ability, or even one of desire. What God asks of us goes beyond desire and is utterly independent of ability. God doesn't ask us if we can serve, participate, change, address our weaknesses, reach out, bless others, and trust Him. He already knows that we can, even if we need His help to do so. He is also not asking if we want to do those things, because merely wanting to is not enough. He asks if we are willing to do them, if we can. Would we choose to do the right things? Will we?

This is a decision that we each have to make for ourselves multiple times each day. Every time we're faced with a choice, it becomes our responsibility to make a decision. And our eternal destiny is shaped by our decisions. There are factors that may influence our decisions, and there are forces outside of our control, but at the end of the day, it's what we decide to do that matters. No one can force us to do the right or wrong thing, and going through the motions isn't going to do us much good anyway. We each have to determine for ourselves whether we are willing to choose the right.