“And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul.” (Mosiah 18:28). One of our most precious and powerful gifts is our agency, or our free will. Another gift we have been given is our good desires towards God. We will see the most blessings pour into our lives and the lives of those we seek to love and serve when we use these two gifts together. We can serve others with our free will and without good desires. This is when we give with a grudging heart, reluctantly, half-heartedly, or with bad grace. We can also have good desires to serve but fail to act on them. Unfortunately, it's not always the thought that counts. Having good desires to serve but then not following through is kind of like trying to feed the hungry by handing out menus instead of actual food. The Lord has given us free agency, good desires, and plenty of people in need - a perfect recipe for loving service that will surely open up the windows of heaven if only we will combine them all together. If we find ourselves in a position where we just can't seem to find anyone in need, then we must pray that the Lord will open our eyes, for surely there are those in need all around us. If we find ourselves surrounded by the needy but are struggling to feel those strong and good desires to help them, then we must pray that the Lord will stir up those good feelings in us. And if we are filled with good desires but still can't seem to bring ourselves to prioritize serving others over less important concerns, then we must pray that God will help us to strengthen our will to act on those good desires. When we understand that free will and good desires are separate components of loving service, then we can be more precise in diagnosing what specifically is preventing us and can work with the Lord to shore up the areas that are weak. I know that each of us is blessed with far more good desires and free will than we give ourselves credit for and I hope that we will allow the Lord to bless our lives and the lives of those in need by helping us to combine our free will and our good desires so that we can become an unstoppable force for good in this world.
