This was the rousing finish to the now famous speech given by Patrick Henry in St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia, on March 23, 1775. Henry was speaking to men who hoped to avoid war between the colonies and Great Britain. "Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace, but there is no peace," Henry declared. "The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!" He was very nearly right, for in less than 30 days the "shot heard round the world" was fired at Lexington in Massachusetts.
A few thousand years ealier, a prophet of God explained that we have the ability to choose between liberty and death:
"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" (2 Nephi 2:27).
Few, if any, would consciously choose captivity and death, but we often face choices that could lead us into captivity. We may even think we are choosing liberty, when in fact we are choosing the opposite. Another prophet has warned us that we may be flattered or lulled into choosing captivity instead of liberty.
"For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well -- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none -- and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance" (2 Nephi 28:20-22).
Patrick Henry's words may echo, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" Is anything we may find desirable worth such a price?
For McKay Christensen, the answer was no. Mckay expected to attend college, serve a mission, and work for his family's business, but all that changed during his senior year. On the baseball diamond he found unexpected success, batting .500 and stealing 62 bases in 62 attempts. He was named to the all-American team and was rated among the three or four best athletes in the baseball draft.
When Mckay told the scouts that he wanted to serve an LDS mission, they told him that he would be among the first few players chosen in the draft and at least one team then offered him a million dollar signing bonus to skip his mission. McKay Christensen answered by saying "My mission is not for sale." Most major league teams turned their attention elsewhere, but the California Angels took Mckay with the sixth pick and offered him a two year break in which to serve his mission.
While he was serving his mission in Japan, the Angels traded Mckay. After returning home, the once hot prospect would play for three different major league teams over four seasons. As the Lord said in 1 Samuel 2:30, "for them that honor me I will honor."
Most of us will not have an opportunity as great as playing a major league sport. But there will be other challenges and temptations. Some may have a hard time leaving their girl behind to serve a mission. Others may settle for a less than honorable person in order to avoid a life of loneliness. We would do well to remember what Patrick Henry and McKay Christensen said about the choices they faced.
Sources:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600159905/Closer-to-home-Christensen-hangs-up-cleats-joins-family-business.html?pg=all
http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm
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