Tim Frodsham, 23 June 2021
I have often pondered the relationship between adversity, accountability, and agency. In periods of anger or stress, for example, we need be most aware of our actions and their ramifications to our family and friends because this is where our decisions matter most. It is during times of adversity that our agency is most compelling. Without accountability and consequences to our decisions, there is no point in having agency because our decisions would not matter. Before we dig deeper into this topic, let’s answer the following questions: What is the purpose of agency, and why is it such a focus for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in particular, and Christians in general?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in accordance with the gospel espoused by our Savior, preaches agency and the equality of opportunity. According to Nephi, we may “choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27). We progress only through exercising our agency, but the ability to choose our actions does not mean we can choose the consequences. To put it in scriptural terms, we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7 ESV). In short, there are consequences.
How do we “choose liberty and eternal life”? What does “agency” really mean, and how has our adversary perverted the concept? To fully exercise our agency, we must understand this incredible gift bestowed by our Creator. We are all given unique talents and abilities and are expected to use these gifts to bless our lives, the lives of our family, and those around us. Agency is the gift the Lord has given us in this life to freely exercise our specific talents in the most meaningful way possible. The adversary, however, preaches equality based on outcome. The plan of the adversary does not take into account our different talents or gifts; instead, all outcomes must be the same. One person cannot be wealthier than another. One person cannot be better read, more articulate. All people must agree, think, and act the same. Following the plan of the adversary leaves no room for true diversity. Lucifer’s plan is the anthesis of agency “Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him” (Moses 4:3, Emphasis added).
Do not confuse Lucifer’s plan with the Law of Consecration. Consecrating all we have does not mean that all will be treated exactly the same. The Law of Consecration is the embodiment of freedom. All will be allocated according to their individual needs, wants and righteous desires. For example, some may want a big house and garden because home is what is most important to them. Others may want minimal lodging and the freedom to travel and do service. All will be able to maximize talents and interests and our focus should and will be on blessing the lives of others. The diversity of thought, opportunity, and action under the Law of Consecration is limitless.
In the Parable of the Talents, the Lord gave to each of His three servants five talents, two talents, and one talent respectively. The servants were not given equal talents, and the Lord did not expect equal outcome. He looked only for progress based on the ability of His servants and the talents they were given. There are two points I find interesting in this parable. First, even though the Lord designated the servants as stewards over His talents or resources, the Lord considered the talents to be an inheritance of servants themselves (Matthew 25:29 ESV). Exercising and developing our talents does not benefit God, doing so benefits ourselves. Second, both faithful servants were given identical blessing for their faithfulness, even though one had more than twice the responsibility. Both were told: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 and 23 ESV).
A close reading of the Parable of the Talents affords us tremendous insight on how the Lord blesses us, His children, portrayed as the Servants. God created each of us with different capabilities. We are unique individuals with contrasting talents, just as the servants in the parable were given different and varied levels of talents. He has given us, His children, countless gifts, and I use the terms gifts and talents interchangeably: the gifts of spirituality, creativity, compassion, industriousness, faith, miracles, prophecy, ministering of angels, craftsmanship, healing, discernment. The list of talents goes on. In His plan, all receive and are able to exercise their gifts based on agency and ability. It is the freedom as well as the opportunity for each of us to exercise our gifts individually and collectively that hallmarks the plan of the Savior. By exercising our talents, some are wealthier than other and some are happier no matter their circumstances. All of us have gifts and talents that we magnify before the Lord as we exert our agency.
How does adversity enter into this equation? In His wisdom, the Lord gave us a planet with nations, cultures, societies, neighborhoods, congregations full of unique individuals with divergent talents. Combine this with a fallen world, a cunning adversary, natural and man-made disaster, and we have a temporal existence designed solely for the purpose of developing our talents giving us a plethora of choices. Choices designed to enlighten our minds, help us overcome prejudice, avoid narrow mindedness, and enlarge our perspective. Ultimately, choices designed to bring us back to God. Adversity and diversity lend substance to our agency. Without racial and ethnic differences, where would be the agency to learn tolerance and perspective? Without adversity in illness, death, hardship or financial difficulty, how would we be able to exercise our agency to trust in Him? We are given ample opportunity to progress through choice and by choice when choices are made meaningful through adversity. The fallen nature of this world and the bewildering array of choices we must navigate in this life are placed in our path to draw us to trust and rely on Him. Whenever we shake our fist at heaven and ask why God would allow such evil and hardship in the world, we must remember that agency is the foundation and purpose to His plan and that corruption and calamity are placed in our path as a cornerstone of that agency. The Lord created this Plan of Happiness by design. In this tangle of multifarious humanity, we learn acceptance, forgiveness, true tolerance, true happiness and how to judge wisely.
We must unceasingly revisit our most basic assumptions and prejudices to better see ourselves as He sees us. To guide us in this effort, He has given us His gospel. As affirmed by Timothy Keller in his book Making Sense of God, “In Christianity, humility and confidence live together. Christianity is the only truly worldwide religion, a religion that is not culturally imperialistic, but universally relevant.” Christianity, according to Keller, “helps Africans to become renewed Africans not remade Europeans.” Christianity is the common denominator of all humanity through which we learn to apply our talents, cherish our agency and ‘renew’ ourselves in His image. Christianity in its true form is the only religion that understands agency as our path to Him.
Agency and all its ramifications are epitomized in the parable of the Widow’s Mite. Both the rich and the poor put in their offerings, but “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21 ESV). The difficult choice of the widow was recognized by a Loving God who compassionately understood that her difficult choices brought her back to Him.
What is the lesson in all of this? Agency, accountability, and adversity cannot be separated. We learn from our talents and benefit from the talents of others only through the gift of agency. We must face the difficult choices of our fallen world because those choices the Lord placed before us in our moments of adversity are the essence of our agency. Having made difficult choices, there must be consequence for our actions, otherwise, our choices do not matter and our agency is void of any real meaning. Through agency, accountability and adversity, Our Lord showed us the greatest love He could possibly bestow by granting us this privilege of choosing for ourselves to follow Him. To accomplish this, He, of His own free will, sacrificed Himself in Gethsemane and on the cross to pay the price for our flawed choices. Through his mercy and forgiveness, the price of accountability is ultimately paid by Him and we can return to our Heavenly Parents, rich with the lessons learned.
Latter-Day Saints 