The Purpose of Life

Have you ever thought to yourself: My life will be so much better and therefore I’ll behave so much sweeter as soon as (fill in the blank) happens? I’m sure we all have at times. As we all eventually find out, that perfect tomorrow never arrives, and we will always only have today with its present challenges.

There is an important principle of the Gospel known as restoration. It’s as simple as this—we get what we put out. Happiness is one example. Sometimes we imagine in our minds circumstances that will make us happy, and we wait until those circumstances come together to be happy. Really, though, if you want to be happy, you need to create happiness for others. Then you will find you can’t help experiencing it yourself.

Restoration is not just a principle for this life, but it extends to the next. Dallin H. Oaks, current Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons), said the following regarding resurrection and restoration:

The assurance of resurrection also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God during our mortal lives. Resurrection is much more than merely reuniting a spirit to a body held captive by the grave. We know from the Book of Mormon that the resurrection is a restoration that brings back “carnal for carnal” and “good for that which is good” (Alma 41:13; see also Alma 41:2–4 and Hel. 14:31). The prophet Amulek taught, “That same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world” (Alma 34:34). As a result, when persons leave this life and go on to the next, “they who are righteous shall be righteous still” (2 Ne. 9:16), and “whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life … will rise with us in the resurrection” (D&C 130:18). (“Resurrection,” Ensign, May 2000, 14)

Thanks to our elder brother Jesus Christ, every person who has ever lived on the earth will have the privilege of being resurrected. That means they will come back to life in their perfect form, free from disease and from the possibility of dying. However, the way we’ll feel about ourselves and those around us will not magically transform the same way our bodies will. We will have the same tendencies toward happiness or misery, selfishness or selflessness. As Elder Oaks pointed out, knowing that should help us want to get a handle on those attitudes that prevent us from experiencing joy now, as we will find the process of dying and coming back to life won’t simply make them disappear.

So practice living today the way you know you want yourself and your children to live forever. That doesn’t mean beat yourself up when you fall short. Our Father in Heaven knew we’d make mistakes, and He sent His Son Jesus Christ to atone for our sins so we could recover from our mistakes and move on and be better. But the next time you catch yourself thinking you’ll behave better as soon as (fill in the blank) occurs, remember that you could be thinking the same thing well into eternity, and that’s a very long time! We can and must begin the process of change now.

To live in America is an awesome blessing and opportunity. I always look forward to each year when we celebrate the birth of this country. At that time I like to reflect back on all the memorable moments of the year. We have so much for which we can be grateful. This country was found on the principles of God The Father.

I feel honored to be a citizen of this great country. It is a land of many opportunities and accomplishments. We have had many setbacks and downfalls, but through it all she still tops the rest. We each have a great responsible to this country we reside in.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons).

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law and the leaders. (Twelfth Article of Faith)

Obeying the law means we will have good intention rooted in our hearts to do our part to make our country a great place. In honoring our country we look upon it as something important to us. We sustain our country when we refrain from saying or doing anything, which will weaken or make our country ineffective.

Have you ever thought about what condition our society would be in if we didn't have leaders or rules? We would use our free agency to make our own rules, responding at whim to any and all situations as we would choose. However,this would cause our country as a whole to suffer.

We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every.(Doctrine & Covenants 134:5)

Our responsibility as citizens is to strive to make our country strong and worthy of God's blessings. Working to make our homes strong and good will make good people, good people will make a great nation. It is important that we teach our children to love this country and to respect the leaders in authority. When we make this a part of our lives we will be rewarded for all our efforts.

President Harold B. Lee taught: "When one sets himself up to make his own rules and presumes to know no law but his own, he is but echoing the plan of Satan."(Conference Report,July 1972)

Our righteous behavior will make all the difference in how great this nation will become and be. Let’s not give Satan any entrance into our lives, and we do this by striving to be good law abiding citizens. This is my prayer.

Not everyone who believes in life after death finds it a rosy proposition. Hamlet called it the “undiscovered country,” about which our uncertainty “makes us rather bear those ills we have/Than fly to others that we know not of”(III.i.81-84). Fortunately, since Hamlet’s time (or rather Shakespeare’s), the Lord has revealed much about what happens to us after we die. Death does have a specific destination, and we can take comfort in knowing that God’s arms of mercy can reach us even beyond the grave.

Spirit Paradise

Those who have been baptized members of Christ’s church and who have lived up to those covenants will be received into a place known as spirit paradise to await their day of resurrection. This is not heaven in the traditional sense where righteous men and women receive their final rewards and dwell eternally in the presence of God. It is, however, a delightful place. An ancient American prophet named Alma taught the following about spirit paradise:

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. (Alma 40:12)

Spirit Prison

In contrast to spirit paradise, Alma explained that those who chose wickedness while alive would have a far different experience in what could be called spirit prison:

Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection. (Alma 40:14)

Spirit prison is also the destination of those souls who did not willfully rebel against God, but who never had the chance to embrace His Gospel because they never had it preached to them. Part of what makes spirit prison so awful for the wicked, described by Alma, is knowing they will have to account for their evil deeds in life. This same feeling of terror, however, will not necessarily be experienced by those who were merely ignorant of Jesus Christ and never had a chance for baptism. All the same, spirit prison will not be a desirable final dwelling place. There is, thankfully, a way out.

Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as Mormons), had a vision revealing to him where Christ went from the moment He died on the cross until He was resurrected. Jesus Christ spent those three days organizing righteous spirits to go and preach the Gospel to those that were in spirit prison. President Smith recorded:

And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel. Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. (D&C 138:31-32)

God desires to give us every opportunity to return to His presence. We need not fear death, knowing that God is in charge, and all who die will have a fair opportunity to embrace His Gospel in its fullness.

I once knew a woman in a nursing home who, though strong in her Christian beliefs, dreaded death because she questioned what kind of reception a person as flawed as herself could expect. As her friend, I wanted to reassure her that she need not be afraid. My assurance came from what I've learned as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons.)

The Bible indicates that death is joyful for the righteous and fearful for the wicked. Revelation 14:13 tells us that death becomes a time of rest for those who “die in the Lord,” and that they shall be blessed. On the other hand, the sting of death is sin, wrote Paul, “[b]ut thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:55-57) Sin not only makes death painful, but it can hasten it. “When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,” recorded Ezekiel, “he shall even die therby.” (Ezekiel 33:18)

Christ erases the “sting” of death in two ways. First, He made it possible that we might all be resurrected. An ancient American king known as King Benjamin taught his people that if “Christ had not risen from the dead…there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.” (Mosiah 16:7-8) This is primarily the sting of separation from those we love. It is comforting to know we may see our loved ones again.

Secondly, Christ made it possible for us to repent of our sins. Ancient American prophets have taught the awfulness of failing to repent while in this life. The prophet Nephi taught:

Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.(1 Nephi 10: 21)

In a similar vein, his brother Jacob warned:

But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! (2 Nephi 9: 27)

Those who knowingly sin against God’s commandments in life can expect death will be an unpleasant experience. They will not be able to hide their sins from God, nor escape the negative consequences of their choices. In contrast, in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, God explained that “those that die in [Him] shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (D&C42:46).

The Lord loves us and desires we find happiness even in death, but He cannot reward evil behavior. Only those who willingly rebel against His law will find death to be a tragedy, because it will bring them closer to the time when they will have to account for their wickedness in life. God has, however, provided an opportunity for those who die without knowing his commandments to learn and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ before receiving final judgment. In the end, we will receive whichever kind of end we have chosen based on the lives we’ve lived and our desires to serve God.

I’ve heard it said that America is a country in denial about death. It makes sense to me. I confess that my husband and I are in the same boat as 57 percent of Americans who say they don’t have a will. Death is not something we like to think about, much less plan for. And yet it is the one guarantee in life. Every one of us will die sometime.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (casually referred to as Mormons), I take comfort in my conviction that because Christ rose from the dead, I and all my family members will also. It's something I take so for granted that the only time I ever think about resurrection is when attending someone’s funeral. Yet the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that Christ’s resurrection from the dead is at the very heart of all we believe as members of the Church:

"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." (“Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, the Divine Redeemer of the World,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 45)

For those less familiar with the concept of resurrection, it begins with Christ’s own. Prior to His death, Christ declared to the unbelieving Jews that after they had killed Him He would rise from the dead on the third day. (John 2:19) Christ was to be the first person ever to be resurrected. As a result of His resurrection, all mankind would also be resurrected. Christ taught in a different setting that not only would all people be resurrected, but they would be brought to stand before Him to be judged for how they behaved while on earth (see John 5:25-29).

As resurrected beings, we will be immortal, meaning we will never again die. We will also be perfect in that we lack any malformations we might have experienced in life. We will be free from all disease. It is not a choice we may make. Every person who has ever lived on the earth will be resurrected.

Hearing this sometimes leads people to the disturbing conclusion that they will have to live forever with the likes of Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot. While Jesus Christ only will have authority to pass judgment on each individual, we may rest assured that those individuals who have willing embraced evil will not have the power to continue to impact negatively their fellow men and women, nor will they receive the same reward as those who’ve chosen to follow after Christ and righteousness.

Time, the basic commodity of life, is the avenue from which all activities of life are created. Time is one of those things shared by all mortals, it affect us constantly. Because we are eternal beings, time is not our natural vastness. It is part of the brief and short mortal framework in which we are to overcome by faith, including faith in God's timing.

Brigham Young called time “the property which we inherit from our Heavenly Father.” (New Era,Child of Promise, August 1993)

We cannot choose how much time we have; Heavenly Father is the ruler of time. However, we can decide what we will do with our time. We often, say we don’t have time. When actually, we all are allotted the same amount of time each day. We have 86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours a day; 168 hours a week. In reality, we are blessed with more than enough time. We spend time on the things we value. By measuring and observing where we spend our time, we can gain a fairly accurate assessment of what we value in life.

Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:20-21)

We cannot recycle or save the time allotted to us each day. With time, we have only one opportunity for choice,and then it is gone forever.

Jesus taught about time when He said, “Seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

We are to assign first, time to God and to His work; everything else in life is of second priority. If we do not choose the kingdom of God first, it will make little difference in the long run what we have chosen instead.

As regard to material possessions. Jesus taught that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15) Consequently, we should not lay up for ourselves “treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” (Matthew 6:19)

Furthermore, the treasures of our heart should not be what the scriptures call “riches and the vain things of this world”.

The “vain things of the world” can include things such as our property, pride, fame, and power. As to all of these, the scriptures remind us that we cannot carry them with us.

Probation is another important aspect that deals with time. We are here to prove ourselves to see if we will do all that the Lord requires of us. We need to make evidence to ourselves what type of being we are and want to be. When we fall short of the Lord’s expectations we can repent over a period of time, this shows Him, our hearts have truly changed.

Heavenly Father wants us to be good stewards of our lives, which involves time. It pleases Him, when we strive to balance out our time. The purpose of this life is to prepare to meet God. Will you please allow this scripture to leave a lasting imprint on your hearts.

A TIME OF PREPARATION

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

"A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

"A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . .

"A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing . . .

"A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

When I read scripture, I like to look for formulas. An example of a formula is found in 1 John 4:18, which says, “There is no fear in love….”

Fear, you could say, does not equal love. So, I might write in the margin of my scriptures the word "fear," followed by an equal sign with a slash through it, and the word "love." To me it means when I am afraid, I am not filled with love. If, for example, I don’t open my mouth to share the Gospel with someone because I’m afraid of their reaction, then I am not truly loving them. If I truly loved them, I wouldn’t worry about saving face if they said no.

I came across a formula the other day in the following quote by Robert D. Hales, a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons):

“… When families are functioning as designed by God, the relationships found therein are the most valued of mortality.” (“The Eternal Family,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 64–65)

The formula I would write is “Happy family life equals functioning as designed by God. Miserable family life equals not functioning as designed by God.” Please note that when I say happy or miserable family, I am referring to the emotional state of an otherwise average intact family, with its typical ups and downs. I acknowledge people sometimes suffer unjustly because of the unrighteous choices of one or more family members (i.e. cases of abuse, addiction, or adultery). Victims of broken families can know that God does not hold them responsible for the sins and resulting misery caused by other family members.

I like this formula because it provides a way for me to gauge how I am doing in my family relationships. Some days my family feels like a tremendous blessing. On other days, more like a burden. When our family is functioning as God intended, our family bonds become noticeably stronger. But when my enjoyment of my family is at a low, it tells me I need to stop and examine where we might have gotten away from God’s principles, and especially what I could be doing differently to contribute to our family.

The best authority on what a family “functioning as designed by God” looks like is found in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The following is one quote from The Family:

“…[F]athers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”

As any mom can appreciate, sometimes you get behind. You know where I’m going with this, right? The husband needs to help out! Actually, the lesson I learned about being equal partners has more to do with how I ask for help. My husband is very willing to help out, but he’s not a mind reader. No matter how much I storm around the kitchen with a come-over-here-and-pitch-in-now scowl on my face, he doesn’t seem to understand (he inevitably thinks it means I need a hug when I get like this, so I get a hug amidst burning dinner and crying baby).

It’s funny how I so often imagine my grumpy behavior is justified (don’t you see this mess?), and yet if my husband were to act the same tyrannical way, I would probably feel I had grounds for divorce. The point is you condescend (hopefully kindly) to your subordinates, but you give your equals due respect. I’m still learning to give up the imperial indignation I feel whenever my husband ignores my telepathic requests. I find when I ask kindly and directly, I get a positive response, the dinner gets cooked, the baby is held, and I feel good inside as a result. Then when my husband draws me into a hug, I realize a happiness I'd only hoped was possible just a few years earlier in my life. It is a happiness that only comes when I am willing to treat my family the way God intended.