Vote

You know, I live in a state where, as a moderately conservative thinker, my national vote counts for almost nothing. In fact, it might count for less than nothing, and I have hope that one day that will change. It didn't stop me from voting this morning, though, and I had an interesting experience as I did.

Gone are the days of slipping your ballot ceremoniously into a wooden box and hearing the satisfying "plunk" as the paper hits the bottom. And yes, I have done that. As I finished up and went over the the ballot machine that would silently accept my ballot like the world's largest vending machine dollar bill slot, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of doing something right. It was not just doing something good, it was the blessing and the heavy responsibility of doing what I was expected and allowed and chosen to do. We always talk about "being saved for the latter days" because of this or that or whatever is being taught during a particular Sunday School lesson. But being here and now is more than that; it is a privilege, a blessing, and a heavy responsibility not just because the days are waning and the earth is groaning under the burden it bears.

This is a day in which our choices are almost unlimited and a time in which we can do almost whatever we want to do without fear and without threat. That is a unique situation in history, and I think I understood it in a new way today. Because we have more choices, because we have more opportunities, because we are allowed to be whomever or whatever we want, our choices are that much more critical to our survival. We are not bound by the shackles of our past, but if we can't discern the right among the unlimited choices before us, we will slowly become bound by the shackles of the future.

I could live anywhere in the world, as could any of us, but I choose to live here where I have the choice and sacred opportunity to choose just one thing among an unlimited selection. I have the right and the responsibility to filter, weed, and search for the single decision that is the best in any given situation. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's almost impossible, but every time it is the same awe-inspiring opportunity and responsibility.

So there you go. Go make a choice today, and thank your Father in Heaven for one of these chances to choose just one among so many.