Choices

Last Sunday Ale and I were invited to give a talk at church. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about choices as we prepared our talks. The theme was based on President Dallin H. Oaks 's message "Where will this lead".

We are still attending the Spanish ward, and for me it is still a challenge to be spontaneous in Spanish, so I kind of stick with what I had written down. Besides Pres. Oaks's talk I also used a few thoughts from President Monson's talk and President Nelson's message at Ale's LDSBC graduation.

Here is what I shared with the congregation and I'd like to share with you:

Buenos dias queridos hermanos. Me recuerdo que cuando llegamos en el barrio hace como casi tres anos fuimos invitados a discursar y yo estaba tan nerviosa porque no hablaba perfectamente como hablo hoy (no). Good morning, dear brothers and sisters. I still remember when we moved to the ward and we were invited to give a talk and I was so nervous because I didn't speak perfectly like I do now (No).

Que alegria poder discursar nuevamente. What a privilege to give a talk once more.

Luego que recibi el tema del discurso yo sabia que es algo que yo necesito desarrollar en mi propria vida. Y me gustaria empezar con una analogia del presidente Thomas S. Monson: As soon as I learned the theme of my talk I knew it was something I needed to develop on my own life. And I would like to start with an analogy from President Thomas S. Monson:

"Este es nuestro mundo. El futuro esta en nuestras manos. El resultado depende de nosotros. El camino a la exaltacion no es una autopista con vision ilimitada, velocidades sin restricciones y habilidades no probadas. Por lo contrario, es conocido por muchas bifurcaciones y virajes, curvas cerradas y velocidades controladas. Nuestra habilidad de conduccion sera puesta a prueba. Estamos listos? Afortunadamente, nuestro Padre Celestial ha proporcionado un mapa de ruta que muestra la ruta a seguir. El ha colocado marcardores en el camino para guiarnos a su destino. This is our world. The future is in your hands. The outcome is up to you. The way to exaltation is not a freeway featuring unlimited vision, unrestricted speeds, and untested skills. Rather, it is known by many forks and turnings, sharp curves, and controlled speeds. Your driving skill will be put to the test. Are you ready? Fortunately, our Heavenly Father, has provided a road map showing the route to follow. He has placed markers along the way to guide you to your destination.

Satanas tambien ha colocado senales de transito para frustrar nuestro progreso y para guiarnos del camino de la verdad a desvios del pecado. Todos sus desvios llevan a un callejon sin salida. Tenemos fijado en sus marcadores? The evil one too has placed road signs to frustrate your progress and to lead you from the path of truth into detours of sin. His detours all lead to a dead end. Have you noticed his markers?

Con estes ambos marcadores ahora vemos que en el enfoque esta en la responsabilidad de elegir, este inevatable crisis en la encrucijada de la vida. El que te guiara para las trevas espera pacientemente una noche oscura, una voluntad vacilante, una consciencia confundida, una mente confusa. With these both markers now we see coming into focus the responsibility to choose, that inevitable crisis at the crossroads of life. He who would lead you down waits patiently for a dark night, a wavering will, a confused conscience, a mixed-up mind. 

Estamos preparados para tomar las decisiones en la encrucijada?" Are you prepared to make the decisions at the crossroads?

Hermanos, Satanas es muy inteligente y quiere nos confundir en las ensenanzas basicas del evangelio torciendo la verdad para el malo. Por ejemplo, Satanas no va a decir deja tu familia, no los ame, no los cuide. Pero va a decir salga de paseo con su familia, a comer, a jugar en el Domingo por que estar con la familia es importante. El es muy bueno con eso especialmente entre los jovenes. Brothers and sisters, Satan is very clever and wants to confuse us on the very basic principles of the gospel, twisting the truth. One example is that he won't say to leave our families, not to care for them, not to love them, but instead he will tell us to be with our family, go out with them to eat and play on the Sabbath day because it is important to be with them. He is very tricky like that specially with the youth.

En 2 Nefi 2:27 leemos: "Asi pues, los hombres son libres segun la carne, y les son dadas todas las cosas que para ellos son proprias. Y son libres para escoger la libertad y la vida eterna, por medio del gran Mediador de todos los hombres, o escoger la cautividad y la muerte, segun la cautividad y el poder del diablo, pues el busca que todos los hombres sean miserables como el. In Nephi 2:27 says: "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to 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; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself".

Debemos siempre recordarnos de que la vida eterna en el reino de nuestro Padre es nuestra meta. Tal objetivo no se logra en un intento glorioso, sino que es el resultado de una vida de rectitud y una acumulacion de elecciones sabias. We need to always remember that eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is our goal. This goal cannot be reached with one glorious act, but it is result of a life of righteousness and an accumulation of wise choices.

  

Sabemos que en el mundo hay que tomar decisiones. Algunas decisiones son elecciones entre hacer algo o no hacer nada. Hay las decisiones entre hacer una o outra cosa; estos incluyen elegir entre lo bueno y malo. Y outras vezes tenemos que elegir dos cosas buenos. Y este ultimo para mi y creo que para muchos de ustedes es lo mas dificil. Como elegir entre dos cosas buenas? Somos como ninos en la tienda de dulces. Son todos buenos y deliciosos. No podemos elegir por uno. Queremos todos los dulces. We know that we have to make choices in this world. Some of these choices are between acting or doing nothing. Other times we have to choose between one thing or the other, that includes choice between good or bad. And some other times we need to choose between to good things. And I believe that one personally or maybe for most of us is the hardest. How can we choose between two good things? We are like kids at the candy store. All of them are so delicious we can't pick just one. We want them all.

En 2011 presidente Nelson que servia en el quorum de los doze discurso en la graduacion de mi esposo acerca de las metas grandes, mas grandes, y mayores. In 2011 when President Nelson was serving in the quorum of the twelve he gave a talk on my husband's graduation about great, greater, and greatest goals.

El dijo: "Las metas grandes de logro temporal, tales como obtener un diploma, son excelentes y deben continuar. Las metas mas grandes se relacionan con el desarrollo de buenos atributos de caracter, como el amor, la gratitud, la integridad y la sabiduria. La vida eterna debe convertirse en nuestro mayor objetivo". He said: "Goals of temporal attainment, such as earning a diploma, are great and should continue. Greater goals relate to developing good character attributes such as love, gratitude, integrity, and wisdom. Eternal life should become our greatest goal.

Algo que puede nos ajudar mucho a elegir entre cosas buenas es nos pregruntar a nosotros mismos: a que camino nuestras decisiones nos conduzira? Something that can really help us to choose good is ask ourselves: which path my choices is leading me to?

El presidente Oaks dijo: "Nuestro presente y nuestro futuro seran mas felices si siempre somos conscientes del futuro. Cuando tomamos decisiones en la actualidad, siempre debemos pregruntarnos: A que conducira esto?" President Oaks sad: "Our present and our future will be happier if we are always conscious of the future. As we make current decisions, we should always be asking: Where will this lead?"

Si estamos eligiendo cosas mayores en nuestras vidas entonces estamos en el camino que nos conduzira de vuelta a nuestro Padre Celestial. Pero si nos permitimos sentarnos y "seguir el flujo" de la sociedad, podemos sorprendemos de encontrarnos en un lugar donde no deseamos estar. If we are choosing greatest things in our lives so we are in the path that will lead us back to our Heavenly Father. But if we allow ourselves sit down and follow the flow of society we might be surprised to find ourselves in a place we didn't wish to be.

Hermanos, no dejemos que nuestras pasiones destryan nuestros suenos. Hay muchas cosas malas en este mundo, pero hay muchas cosas buenas tambien. Que podamos siempre elegir cosas buenas con nuestros ojos fijos en nuestra morada celestial donde venimos. Brothers and sisters, let us not let our passions destroy our dreams. There are bad things in this world, but there are good too. Let us always choose the good with our eyes fixed in our celestial home where we came from.

Que podamos escuchar los consejos de nuestros lideres, que nos ensenan la voluntad de nuestro Padre Celestial por meio del Espiritu Santo. Let us listen to our leaders. They teach us our Heavenly Father's will through the Holy Ghost.

Esta es la mensaje que yo comparto en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen". And this is the message I'd like to share in the name of Jesus Christ, amen".