I
have a close family friend who converted to the church when he was a teenager.
He told me that before he learned about the gospel he used to be terrified to
go to sleep at night because he didn’t know what would happen to him if he were
to die. This is a disturbing question for many, especially when they experience
the difficulty of losing a loved one. When my friend learned the truths of the
gospel he was finally able to be at peace. The question of the afterlife is
just one of many that can make us feel lost in this world. However, L. Tom
Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: “We need not be confused.
The answers to the puzzling questions regarding the purpose of life have again
been given to mankind for our guidance.”
The gospel gives us priceless knowledge about where we came from and
where we’re going. It is important to
remember that the gospel doesn’t provide just nice answers to make us feel
better but it makes us feel better because it is actually the truth. L. Tom
Perry has also said: “We are not left alone to wander through mortality without
knowing of the master plan which the Lord has designed for His children.” God
has given us the scriptures, a modern day prophet and apostles, and the Holy
Ghost to help us understand where we came from, why we are on this earth, and
where we are going.
When we understand the Plan of Salvation, we
get the big picture and it can help the things that we are going through on
this earth make a lot more sense. Our trials and difficulties need not be
senseless struggles that we go through, but we can realize that these
experiences are for our ultimate good as we strive to
become like God. In addition, understanding life through the lens of the gospel
also helps us to know that God is who we should be grateful to when things are
going well and to whom we can go for help when things get difficult. The Plan
of Salvation is the big picture and the more we learn about it and understand
it, the more we will understand who we are and what our purpose is in this life
and in the eternities.
For
more answers about the Plan of Salvation, you can click on this link to L. Tom
Perry’s talk “The Plan of Salvation”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/the-plan-of-salvation?lang=eng
What a great Father in heaven we have who truly cares enough about each of His children and provides a way for each of us to have peace and comfort in this life about that which is to come in the next. I am so grateful to live in a time where there is a prophet who lives on the earth with Jesus Christ's church restored.
ReplyDeleteI love knowing that there is a bigger picture, that there is a plan for me. Knowing what it is I'm living for, helps me make choices that will benefit me, if not in the short term, in the long run. I understand better why prophets of old & prophets today choose to "give up" their lives for the church through death, talents, time, etc. I realize the truthfulness of the scripture found in Mathew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
ReplyDeleteIt is better for us to spend our 80-100+ years on earth tired, beaten and withered while giving our lives to the Lord and achieve Eternal Happiness than to live pampered, praised, and worshiped on earth to live forever tormented at the opportunities we could and should have taken to help those in need.
I hope one day I can become like someone who is willing to give up sleep, food, and comforts of today to help someone else in need.
The Plan of Salvation frees up a lot of stress and worry about the afterlife. It's also nice to know the purpose of this life, and where we should focus our energies. Furthermore, the gospel of Jesus Christ answers life's most difficult questions. It is such a blessing in my life.
ReplyDeleteKnowing the big picture really helps me to cope when things in life get hard because I know why I came to earth and one of those reasons was to experience opposition and challenges. However, I also know that I have the Godhead to help me through any challenges that I may face.
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