Understanding the Plan

One Sunday evening, my older kids were complaining about how difficult everything was at this time.  As I joined in on the pity party, I realized this was actually a good teaching moment for my kids.  

I had just pulled out some of my old mission scriptures that had my little lamented cut outs of the Plan of Salvation, so we decided to lay it out on my bed. 

We started off talking about our pre earth life with our Heavenly Father, and how much our Heavenly Father loved us, and wanted us to grow and learn, become more like Him. I told the kids that I felt the same way about them.     

 He loved us so much He was willing to provide an earth for us to have experiences, gain a body and develop faith in our Savior, so that we can become more like Him. 
He knew it would be difficult and that some would make the wrong choices but He also knew the tremendous joy that would be ours as we experience and learn from life.

A world was created and each of us passed through the veil, and forget our premortal experiences to come to earth for three main reasons.

The first is to gain a body. What a marvelous and precious gift we have in our bodies.   

We lived in the Pre Earth life as spirit, not able to experience the extreme joy or pains that come with having a physical body.  

This made me realize how blessed am I to have experience most of my life with nearly perfect health.  

So what is Heavenly Fathers expectation for us with this gift he has given each of us?  We are here to learn to tame and control this natural body.     It says in the scripture the we must learn to control our desire and appetites. We do this by fasting, living a health and balanced life, and using this body for good.  I discussed wit my kids the benefits of living within these boundries.    

I explained to the kids that up until now, most of pain or sorrow that I have felt with my body has been of my own doing or the necessary consequence of a choice I have made.   

But this experience was different, this is more of a test to prove my mental willpower over my physical body, and in so doing this I’m learning to submitting to the will of the Lord, which is drawing me closer to Him.   

Understanding this expereince has maked it easier to see this experience as a blessing, not a curse.

The second reason we came to earth was to develop faith.   

Living with Heavenly Father, we never had to question, seek and believe in Him because he was always there.   

So how do we know He is there when most of us cannot touch, hear or see Him while here on earth?  

My answer to my kids was this. 
I know He is there, because I feel a warm, comforting feeling when I pray to Him and ask for he's spirit.  
My mind is enlightened when I hear his words through reading the scriptures, or hearing the words of the prophet teach the gospel truths. 
And I have seen His image, in the faces of those who have tireless served me and my family through this difficult time.   

Through my life experiences, I have developed faith in my Heavenly Father and in his son Jesus Christ, and I hope to grow even closer as I continue to learn, serve and seek after Him.

The third reason we came to earth was to learn to choose between good and evil.  

Sounds simple, even easy, yet life is full of difficult choices.  Unfortunately it seems to be getting even more difficult for the next generation.  Evil is stronger and more easily disguised as good.    

But there is so much good in this world too and will always be if we seek after it.  I know that choosing the right and good in life brings happiness and choosing those things are not of God will bring sorrow, regret, confusion, and even pain.

But understanding how to choose between good and evil is not only about the actions we make or even the good or bad thoughts we may have, but through this experience of the past year, I have also learned it is also a choice of ATTITUDE. 

During my visits to the infusion stations at the cancer center, I often would meet the most positive, and happy people getting ready to put poison in their bodies and become deathly sick.
They had every reason to be grumpy, angry, or even bitter, but the majority were not, they chose happiness.   

One women joked, they can take my blood,
put toxins in my body,
cut me open,
take parts of me out,
burn me with radiation,
and they still can’t kill me,
but not for lack of trying.   

This is only funny because it’s SO true.

So to my children who are complaining because life seems a little hard at the time!

Look up,

believe,

seek the good,

choose to be happy,

and as my father always says,
“Say your Prayers!”

This is all part of His plan.