As children of God, we know we had a life in heaven before we came to earth. As spirits, we dwelt with God while we developed our individual characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. Elder Weatherford T. Clayton shared his beautiful testimony: “Heavenly Father loves us, He wants us to have the greatest gift He can give, the gift of eternal life. He could not simply give us this gift; we had to receive it by choosing Him and His ways. This required that we leave His presence and begin a wonderful and challenging journey of faith, growth, and becoming. The journey our Father prepared for us is called the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness.” [1] We accepted His gift; we are here on earth trying to do our best and are ever grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that allows us to repent daily and keep trying. God told Moses, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” [2] Eternal life is with our Father in Heaven. He wants us to come home.
From this week’s discussion board, many of you spoke of the peace, hope, and comfort the promise of eternal life gives you. Joshua shared, “This is like when we made a journey to another land maybe for work or business trips; we would be happy to return home to meet our loved ones. It gladdens my heart to know that I have a place to return to where there is no evil, affliction and death; where there is peace and fulfillment.”
A few years ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to be a “Ma” and “Pa” on our stake’s Martin’s Cove handcart trek. In a trek experience, you dress like pioneers; walk miles; experience pulling and pushing handcarts, usually in the heat, while feeling what it was like to walk across a creek; feel the reverence of the cove, where we know many Saints lost their lives; to being one of the women that pulled a handcart up the hill; to singing and dancing at the end of the day; and sleeping like a rock at night. That experience was the hardest thing I have ever physically done. Still, it was easier than when our ancestors made that trek. I had a tent and sleeping bag to sleep in at night. I had clean water to drink, Doritos to eat with my sandwich, walking shoes to wear, and I did not actually lose anyone.
Let us think about those ancestors, the early Saints that trekked across many miles to the place they could finally call home. Before they left, they were heavily persecuted for what they believed. They were tortured and bullied, finally pushing them to travel across rough ground, up hills, rocks, and deep valleys, with extreme weather conditions adding its own level of discouragement to their journey. But they pushed on and persevered and look at where the Church is today. Why? Our ancestors, these Saints, were with us in the premortal council when God told us of His plan and were doing everything possible to make it back to our Lord’s presence. President David O. McKay recounted the testimony of one of the survivors of the ill-fated Martin handcart company, who said: “We suffered beyond anything you can imagine, and many died of exposure and starvation, but . . . [we] came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives, for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities.” [3]
I believe that Heavenly Father wanted us to enjoy our time here on the earth although He knew that there would be times of heartache, struggle, disappointment, and sadness. Lehi teaches his sons an important truth about what our life on earth should be like: “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” [4] We are meant to experience joy, and I would daresay that was intended to be more often than not. Joy is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness,” with synonyms such as “jubilation,” “triumph,” “rejoicing,” “gladness,” and “glee.” [5]
I know that life is not always joyful. We have hard trials, and some days are just rough. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much; He would not send us here to be miserable. He wants us to be able to sing and dance on our journey as our ancestors did. He wants us to make it back home to be in His presence. To help us, He has given us so many resources to use in our struggles. I would like to share with you some of these resources that have been helpful to me. A benefit of these is that they can help all of us become more like our Father in Heaven and Elder Brother, Jesus Christ.
We, you and I, are needed now.
Heavenly Father created us all with our own talents, spiritual gifts, abilities, skills, personalities, and services to give. We are meant to look, talk, and be different than everyone else. We all have something to contribute. Diversity is a good thing!
Sister Sheri Dew said this:
This is not new news. You have been told countless times that you are a chosen generation reserved for the latter part of the latter days. . . . It’s akin to being chosen to run the last leg of a relay, where the coach always positions his strongest runner. You were recommended to help run the last leg of the relay that began with Adam and Eve because your premortal spiritual valor indicated you would have the courage and the determination to face the world at its worst, to do combat with the evil one during his heyday, and, in spite of it all, to be fearless in building the kingdom of God. . . . The simple fact is that our Father did not recommend Eve or Moses or Nephi or countless other magnificent exemplars for this dispensation—He recommended you and me. Do you think God would have left the last days to chance by sending men and women He couldn’t count on? A common theme of patriarchal blessings given to men and women your age is that you were sent now because our Father’s most trustworthy children would be needed in the final, decisive battle for righteousness. That is who you are, and it is who you have always been. [6]
All of you have something very special, individual to you, to contribute to your time on the earth. Heavenly Father knows what it is, who it is for, and when and how it is needed. Ask Him how He needs to use you. He is waiting for your question so He can guide you through your role.
Allow ourselves to learn from our trials.
We knew when we agreed with Heavenly Father’s plan that we would be tried and tested with difficult experiences. It is during these times that Heavenly Father helps us to become a better version of ourselves, more like Him.
Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” [7]
In a BYU-Idaho devotional, Brother Larry Richman said, “Trials give us opportunities to show the Lord and ourselves that we will be faithful. . . . You can feel sorry for yourself and ask, “Why me?” or you can grow from your trials, increase your faith in the Lord, and ask, ‘How can I be faithful in the midst of this trial?’ . . . You can let adversity break you down and make you bitter or you can let it refine you and make you stronger. . . . You can allow the adversity to lead you to drift away from the things that matter most, or you can use it as a stepping stone to grow closer to things of eternal worth.” [8]
The Lord promises, “Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.” [9]
See the good; be the good; share the good.
As I mentioned before, there is no one else like you. Other people are going to have different experiences in life than us, which brings different opinions. That does not necessarily mean they are wrong; they just see things differently. We all have a different current story that changes moment by moment. It is never our place to judge or ridicule or ignore someone. Looking for good in others regardless of the circumstance can help us be more tolerant, kind, forgiving, and accepting, even when we are hurt. Our motive for doing this can simply be that we are following an important gospel doctrine, that we are all children of God. Be an example to others; see the good!
The parable of the good Samaritan is such a great example of being kind and compassionate to everyone, no matter who they are. Elder Gerrit W. Gong taught us this past conference that we should welcome all, be inclusive, and love everyone regardless. [10] Just as Jesus taught, we are all neighbors, and we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. I know that my life is busy, and I am sure yours is as well. However, part of becoming like our Savior is to minister, serve, and love. An incredibly important resource Heavenly Father gave us is other people. We learn more love and charity for others as we give of our time to someone else. Put this into perspective of everyday life; who needs our concern, kind words, positivity, and love now? I suggest that we can be observant, ask Heavenly Father, listen, and then act when the answer comes. The more we look outside of ourselves, the easier serving becomes, but also the more it helps us through our own struggles and trials in life. We can also think and ponder on how Jesus Christ lived His life daily. He lifted everyone He came in contact with. Can we do that? Can we strive to do that? Be the good!
Sharing negativity about anyone or any situation just adds to the problem of tension we see in our world today. Instead, we can share the good with others. Be excited about the positive, spiritual, happy things that you experience. Scatter sunshine all along the way! Be cheerful! Share the good!
In last week’s devotional, Sister Jennifer Jones shared this quote from Elder Marvin J. Ashton that sums up my thoughts: “Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. . . . If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.” [11]
Gratitude
When my trials tend to drag on and on and they pile up on top of each other and I feel as if I cannot handle anymore, I have felt the Spirit whisper to me, “What are you grateful for?” Being grateful amazingly helps me to have more faith in Heavenly Father’s plan and allows me to depend on the Atonement of Jesus Christ more consistently. There may be somedays that all you can think of is that you are grateful for socks, but I promise that the more you reflect on the good in your life, the less you will drown in your thoughts of the hard stuff. Being grateful and thanking Heavenly Father in prayer can make this a spiritual, sacred experience.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf teaches us that instead of numbering our items or blessings that we should develop gratitude as a part of our disposition, part of our way of life. Therefore, we would be grateful in whatever situation we find ourselves in. He shared some examples of those who have gone before us who lived their life with an attitude of gratitude. Nephi continued to praise God in the midst of being tied up by his brothers on the ship in a violent storm. Job lost everything and still praised God. As we have talked about before, the early Saints pushed forward because of their faith in God, regardless of what torture or adversity came their way. And our Prophet Joseph Smith spoke particularly of his angst while in the Liberty Jail, but still turned to God. [12] We may not be locked in Liberty Jail, but our trials today can seem just as hard. Having a disposition of gratitude can help lessen the load.
Elder Uchtdorf said, “We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain? Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges.” [13]
Trust Him.
Finally, it is important for us to trust Heavenly Father’s plan. Do we believe that we will be able to have eternal life if we do the work here on the earth? Do we know that He never leaves us? Do we know that He loves us—all of us? Trusting God and having faith in Him go hand in hand. When unexplained things happen or trials seem to never end, trust the plan. Trust Heavenly Father, that by staying righteous with our eyes, hearts, and souls turned to Him, we can have the eternal life He promised us. We can trust Him that the plan we agreed to in heaven is real. I testify to you that it is. I believe with all my heart that the work we do here on the earth is so that we can return to live with our Father and our families.
There are so many resources God has given us. Here are some others you might consider: the relationship that we work to build with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, other people who are acting on the promptings they are given, heavenly angels, motivational talks and spiritual music, grace, church meetings or any event that allows the Spirit to reside, the temple, priesthood blessings, prophets and apostles, faith-promoting friends, nature, knowledge, study of the scriptures, the Holy Ghost, and more.
On the discussion board this week, I posed two questions that I would invite all of us to ponder. One, how does the promise of eternal life make you feel? And two, what are you doing to make sure that your mortal experience is preparing you to return to live with Heavenly Father?
Amy shared on this week’s discussion board what she is doing to prepare for eternal life. She says, “Each day I try to live my life in a way that would be pleasing to God. When I make mistakes, I do my best to repent and move forward. I try to learn and study the scriptures and the words of the prophet and apostles. I am not perfect, but I do my best to follow and keep the two great commandments to love God and love my neighbor. I know that as I do that, everything else will fall into its proper place.”
I invite myself and each of you to focus our lives on the things that help us to become more like our Father in Heaven and that teach us to use and strengthen our faith in Him and His Son. Maybe one of these resources I have given you today will help you with that focus.
My mom was very gifted, creative, and talented. She was a strong leader in her callings and gave of herself to many. Sadly, she spent most of her life battling some type of illness. In her later years, she suffered from seizures which sapped all her energy, leaving her unable to do what she used to. However, throughout the many struggles in her life, I always knew she loved God, the gospel, and had an unwavering testimony. The last few years she struggled with dementia, which made her very forgetful and unable to remember; it was a hard time for all of us. She passed away a year and a half ago. At her funeral, the speaker said that he went to the temple to help him prepare his talk. As he was there, he was trying to listen so he might know what my mom would want to say to us, her family and friends. He was filled with the Spirit as he heard the words, “come home.” When he shared this with us, those words told me that my mom was telling us that Heavenly Father’s plan was real, that her unwavering testimony was still strong and right: there is an afterlife with our Father in Heaven. I knew she was whole again, and more than anything she wanted us to come home—home to her and other family but most of all home to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Her words were another gift of hope that we can do this mortal life and that there is a Heavenly Father who loves us, and He too wants us to come home. I will never forget her beckoning, which has made me more desirous to fulfill His beckoning. Come home!
In Mosiah 2:41 it says,
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
I bear my testimony to you today that we can do it. We have what we need to fulfill our earthly mission, we just have to choose to use what we have been given so we can receive the gift Heavenly Father wants to give us—His gift of eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Weatherford T. Clayton, “Our Father’s Glorious Purpose,” Ensign, May 2017.
[2] Moses 1:39.
[3] David O. McKay, “Pioneer Women,” Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, 8.
[4] 2 Nephi 2:25.
[5] Google Dictionary, “Joy.”
[6] Sheri L. Dew, “You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory,” BYU Speeches, Dec. 9, 2003.
[7] Quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 1972, 98.
[8] Larry Richman, “Learning Through Life’s Trials,” BYUI devotional, Oct. 30, 2007.
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 58:3–4.
[10] See Gerrit W. Gong, “Room in the Inn,” Ensign, May 2021.
[11] Marvin J. Ashton, “The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword,” Ensign, May 1992.
[12] See Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Grateful in Any Circumstances,” Ensign, May 2014.
[13] Ibid.