I was reading out of 'Preach My Gospel' this morning with my 15 year old son and 20 year old nephew. We were talking about Heavenly Father and the purpose of life.
I asked them what the purpose of life was, and they gave the answers that we hear weekly in church: to gain a body, be tested and return back to Heavenly Father.
While that is all true, I asked them this question: If the whole purpose of life is just to return back to Heavenly Father, then why did we leave Him in the first place?
The answer: This life is not about getting back to Heavenly Father, it is about becoming like Him.
We are not here to prove to Him that we can use our agency for good, we are here to prove to ourselves that we can.
My daughter wanted to take swim lessons when she was young. She was so nervous. I knew she had natural talent, I knew her potential, and I kept telling her so. She doubted. It wasn't until she actually got in the water and swam herself- and proved to herself that she could- that her confidence and joy came.
In the preexistence Heavenly Father presented a plan so we can become like Him. We fought for the right to be here, to become like Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father knows our potential. He tries to tell us every day. He has given us the gospel, prophets, personal revelation, commandments, His Son- all so we can reach that potential. But, it isn't enough to be told. We need to prove ourselves to ourselves that we can do it.
Sometimes we doubt that we can, life looks scary, we don't feel strong, and we are just plain tired. But, we need to get in the water, so to speak, and swim for ourselves.
When we succeed, God is not surprised. He rejoices with us. We are the ones that need convincing, not Him. He is our biggest fan.
One of my favorite quotes is "Mortality is the proving grounds for eternity."
We know what can achieve and who we can become. Do we want it bad enough? "Well," I told the boys, "Prove it."
I asked them what the purpose of life was, and they gave the answers that we hear weekly in church: to gain a body, be tested and return back to Heavenly Father.
While that is all true, I asked them this question: If the whole purpose of life is just to return back to Heavenly Father, then why did we leave Him in the first place?
The answer: This life is not about getting back to Heavenly Father, it is about becoming like Him.
We are not here to prove to Him that we can use our agency for good, we are here to prove to ourselves that we can.
My daughter wanted to take swim lessons when she was young. She was so nervous. I knew she had natural talent, I knew her potential, and I kept telling her so. She doubted. It wasn't until she actually got in the water and swam herself- and proved to herself that she could- that her confidence and joy came.
In the preexistence Heavenly Father presented a plan so we can become like Him. We fought for the right to be here, to become like Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father knows our potential. He tries to tell us every day. He has given us the gospel, prophets, personal revelation, commandments, His Son- all so we can reach that potential. But, it isn't enough to be told. We need to prove ourselves to ourselves that we can do it.
Sometimes we doubt that we can, life looks scary, we don't feel strong, and we are just plain tired. But, we need to get in the water, so to speak, and swim for ourselves.
When we succeed, God is not surprised. He rejoices with us. We are the ones that need convincing, not Him. He is our biggest fan.
One of my favorite quotes is "Mortality is the proving grounds for eternity."
We know what can achieve and who we can become. Do we want it bad enough? "Well," I told the boys, "Prove it."
