Proper prospective of the purpose of our lives is critical to be able to make the right daily decisions to gain the spiritual growth that we were sent down to the earth to achieve.
We lived as spirit sons and daughters of God in heaven before we came to earth. A veil of forgetfulness is drawn over our memory of our pre-existence in order for us to live by faith, which was necessary for our further growth and progression to become more like our Heavenly Father and beloved Savior.
Earth life presents many challenges for us to further our progression.
Our key challenges are:
• Controlling our physical bodies: It is difficult for our eternal spirit to learn to control our physical bodies according to the commandments and direction from our Heavenly Father and Savior.
• Learn to live by faith: The apostle Paul said, “But without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11: 6 in the Bible)
• Keeping the commandments of God: The Savior said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14: 15 in the Bible)
• Love, service to others, and righteousness should become our motivation in life: The Savior taught, “…That ye love one another; as I have loved you…” (John 13: 34 in the Bible)
An ancient prophet explained, “…when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2: 17 p. 148 in the Book of Mormon)
The Savior further instructed us on this subject, “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.” (Doctrine and Covenants 58: 27-28 p. 105)
Service to family, friends, neighbors and those in need can be challenging, but rewarding
One of our critical earthly assignments and privileges is to have children and build strong families in righteousness. “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: (Psalms 127: 3-5 in the Bible)
Families with young children can become daily acts of mundane service without many rewards. I recently read an article about a young mother’s experiences and her positive attitude. “With a new baby and four little ones, I feel like I spin my wheels all day and then wake up to do the same thing the next day. At any given moment, there are tummies to fill and piles of clothes, toys, and dishes to put away. That is my life. It’s not about the peanut butter smudges on the couch or the socks that never seem to have a match. It’s about my little family, who swells my heart with joy. The Lord said: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33) The small things have come to mean so much to me: hugs, made-up songs, crayon drawings, skipping to the mailbox and back, and eating burnt toast because it was made just for me.
We may do mundane things day after day, but it’s not about the task at hand, it’s about the people we serve. When I think of them and how much I love them, I thank the Lord for the beauty of life and for tomorrow, when I’ll get up and gladly do it all over again”
Unrighteous Pride and Selfishness Destroys Our Future Happiness
Being prideful is self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin of pride but the heart or core of pride is enmity–enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is that enmity or hatred that can destroy us spiritually. Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God it is in the spirit of my will and not thine be done (quote from Ezra T. Benson). As the apostle Paul said, “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Philippians 2: 21 in the Bible). Pride and selfishness will cause us to miss the spiritual growth we came to the earth to receive and also miss the future happiness the Lord has for us who humbly keep His commandments and serve one another.
Dallas Jones is the local leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Portions of the article was written by Janessa Origil, Ensign March, 2019. For further discussion call (231) 383-8359 or send an email to [email protected]