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| Elder Oakes receiving a text |
Kind Sir,
There has always been a piece of my heart that knows something my conscious mind does not. A lack and wanting of enlightening edification has driven me to writing you this note in urgency. There must be some type of brighter hope I know I cannot see or even begin to understand. I stand in confusion, lost in a world of distractions around me. I have sought guidance from that of many minds; none of which seeming able to settle my bewildered puzzlement.
Where did we come from? We couldn’t have just suddenly appeared from nothing, as scientists try to explain. For the Earth to have been placed so perfectly in our universe that life came to exist with order, by accident, I believe is not physically possible without divine intervention of some sort. But then, who is a God that has placed us in desolation and misery without purpose or knowledge of any function? It is indescribably difficult for me to seek happiness when my views are clouded by confusing gloom.
Why are we here? Or rather…Why am I here? Surely there must be something more to life than to grow old and die. That seems like such a waste. Who am I? What sort of person am I supposed to be? There are billions of other people in this world. What purposeful roles then have I to play? I have done most everything right I have been taught to do as far as I remember, and yet I am still not truly happy. Why is it that others appear to find that in their lives? Sure, at times I have happy moments, but at whole those times seem dreadfully short.
Where are we going? Where are we sent when this life is through? If this life has a purpose, what good then would dying do, being the end? My grandparents, where have they gone? I love and miss them. Will I get to see them again? Even if my life is just a fairy tale, it has got to end with ‘happily ever after’, hasn’t it? I cannot imagine how I would fall apart if I suddenly awoke having had this all dream and ending as a nightmare.
I feel as though my whole life has beaten me into the ground. I now seem to lack purpose. I was told you can help. I was told you have answers. I am not sure who you are, but I plead for you to make all effort to find me. At first I might shove you away, but keep trying. Please be patient with me, for I need to know what you have dedicated two years of your life to sharing.
-From one earnestly searching for truth,
As a missionary, I'm serving to offer the answers to those questions, which God has given us through modern and living prophets. If you seek answers to these questions for yourself, are looking for God's plan and purpose for you, or are aching for the hope that only Jesus Christ can bring, send me a message and I'd be glad to talk or talk with any of the great missionaries like me on Mormon.org.
3 comments:
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
What happens at death?
While many scriptures teach us truth of our divine heritage and mission here on earth, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" makes clearly simple the perfect plan our loving Father in Heaven has laid out for us.
"ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.
"IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
"WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan."
To view the whole Proclamation, see http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng
The famous scripture John 3:16 teaches, "For God so loved the world that he gave his Only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.
This is the blessing of Christ's infinite atonement in the garden of Gethsemane. He paid the price for ALL mankind to regain presence before our Heavenly Father. Because of Christ's suffering, he has truly borne our grief and carried our sorrows. He has redeemed us from the Fall, Adam and Eve's transgression which was necessary for us to learn in opposition. 2 Nephi 2:27 (24-28)
Moral agency, the responsibility to choose for oneself, is such a vital piece of the Plan of Happiness that our spiritual Father was willing to lose one-third of his children in order to preserve our blessing to CHOOSE good. Upon Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit, "The Lord God said, Behold man is become as one of us, to know good and evil" (Genesis 3:22).
In the garden of Eden, there were two trees (Abraham 5:9; 2 Nephi 2:15). The second is The Tree of Life, and the fruit thereof is the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Tree itself represents the love of God, and the fruit given to redeem men from the partaking of the first tree. The fruit of the atonement is most sweet and desirable above all. Greater detail of this second tree is given in 2 Nephi 8 & 11. (noted scriptures can also be found at http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng )
It is true that mortal life would have no meaning if death were the end thereof; but thankfully this is not so. Jesus is risen! and so will we. This life is a time to prepare to meet God. In the pre-mortal realm we as individuals were prepared for this time we have now on earth; which time is a time of testing and growth.
With Christ came also His welcoming message:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Where did I come from? A loving Father in Heaven, who comforts and encourages my return.
Why am I here? To gain a body (as Heavenly Father does, that I may become like Him; my body also helps to speed up my learning ability); To exercise faith away from His presence and have needed personal experiences; and To prove to Him and myself that I am worthy to return to His presence. The ONLY way possible for me to be worthy before Him is for me to receive His Son Jesus Christ and apply His atonement in my life with gratitude.
What happens at death? Because of Christ ALL mankind will be resurrected. 'The spirit and the body is the soul of man' (2 Nephi 9:13). Through making and keeping covenants in the blessing of God's holy temples and the promises God made to our father Abraham, I will have my family from all eternity to all eternity--including my sister and my grandfather who have passed on, and all others who are sealed to me.
"Adam fell that men might be; men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25); which joy cometh in Christ. I so testify in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.
Thank you for your beautiful and simple answers from the scriptures and from the words of modern prophets to those questions of the soul. I overlooked how many of those answers are in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" alone. It's such a relief to have answers to those questions that give the true meaning to of our existence. Your wonderful testimony is a happy addition to this blog as well. I'd like to share my testimony that the Savior whose birth we are celebrating in two days lives still and made the fulfillment of our entire purpose possible.
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