A Privilege and A Blessing

WELP. It's Tuesday. And I already feel like it's been a long and hard week that should be over already. I am completely exhausted. On marathon weeks like this one it takes all I have just to make it through the day in one piece. And this marathon has been quite a battle. And last night on top of homework and studying and just sheer exhaustion...was Family Home Evening (FHE). Now let me just clarify, I am a strong supporter of FHE. I think it is extremely important for families to have regularly, and it has come as direction from a Prophet of God and so it's something that I think we should do. I even think that for some college students it is crucial to their development and growth with the Savior and our Father in Heaven. But sometimes when it actually comes down to HAVING FHE I really struggle. It's even harder to go when you only have 5 people show up and 2 are the group leaders....Well anyways last night 7:00 came and it was time for FHE and I wasn't excited but it was in my apt. and I didn't go the week before and so I told myself that I had to go (great attitude, I know). My group leader prepared a short lesson on the topic of Agency and wanted to have a discussion about it and reluctantly in my mind I thought "let's just hurry and get this over with" (again great attitude on my part, I know). He read a quote though in which it said that Agency is a gift and a privilege among other things and while other people commented on the quote the discussion continued on I kept thinking about the phrase "agency is a privilege." I had never thought about it like that before. We talked about how agency is not only choosing what we are going to do but how we are going to react to our decisions but also the consequences of the decisions of those around us. We talked about how each and every day we have the choice to choose if we are going to let others affect our day or not; we can choose to be happy. Now on a little side note-this is something that I have been thinking about/struggling with for a while now. And it seems that every single person, ever single talk in church, every single relief society class, and every single institute discussion has to do with choosing to be happy or living life for you...which basically tells me that I haven't figured it out yet cause I am constantly being taught about it. But as I sat on the love-sac last night thinking about this, and then all today as I have had this thought in my mind, I have come to realize that maybe I haven't figured it out yet, because I haven't viewed it as a privilege. I have the PRIVILEGE to choose whether or not I want to be happy. That is a gift! And until I look at it in such a way and treat it like the gift that it is I wont be able to fully appreciate it or fully apply it. What a blessing it is that we have this gift and what a blessing it is that we have a Father in Heaver that knows us SO well and loves us SO much that when we don't get when He is trying to tell us, He never gives up. What a great blessing that came from FHE, something I was so reluctant to do, just think how it could have turned out if I had gone into it with and open and willing heart. And yeah this is all still easier said than done, but  in a world that is so full of despair and pain and heartache, I for one am grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the PRIVILEGE I have to choose to be happy.