Returning to the Celestial Kingdom to live with our Heavenly Father once again is our ultimate goal here on this earth. But how do we achieve this? It is not easy, and we cannot do it alone. We make it harder than it really is, however it is through all of the little steps that we know to be right, we can become righteous human beings.
Everything that we do in our lives should be in remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ. When we are baptized, we promise to take upon us His name and to always remember Him. When we do this, we will always have the spirit to be with us if we do our part and let him into our lives. The night of my baptism, I started crying and didn't know why. My mother asked me what was wrong but I didn't know how to tell her because I myself did not know at the time. She wrapped her arms around me and comforted me during this time. I later came to realize that that night, I was feeling the spirit so strongly that it completely overwhelmed me. From that point on, I have wanted to always have the spirit with me. When I don't have the spirit with me, it is so different. One particular night I remember I was with some friends and I just felt really odd. The whole day had gone differently and I could not figure out what made it so different. I realized that I had't invited the spirit to be with me throughout the whole day. I was shocked and felt like I shouldn't be where I was. On my way home I was thinking about how it was not a bad place for me to be, but I could have been doing something better. So I did and I have always remembered that sometimes we may not be in a bad place, but are we in the best possible place? I cannot go through life without the spirit by my side leading me and guiding me. I love the hymn "I am a Child of God." It is very powerful and reads as "I am a child of God, and he has sent me here, has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear. Lead me guide me walk beside me, help me find the way, teach me all that I must do, to live with him someday. I am a child of God, and so my needs are great. Help me to understand his words before it grows too late. Lead me guide me walk beside me help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with him someday. I am a child of God, rich blessings are in store, If I but learn to do his will, I'll live with him once more. Lead me guide me walk beside me, helpme find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with him someday." We cannot go through life alone, we need help along the way to take us by the hand and lead us back. This is not easy, and actually very hard to do, but I know that if I do my part, He will always be with me to help me through this hard life.
All of the trials that we go through in life are for our growth and benefit. Sometimes we don't think this because we wonder why such difficult things happen to us. We choose our challenges and nothing will be given to us that we wont be able to handle. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) We will all be given trials but we must stay strong and press forward through them. A few months ago I was thinking about why it is so hard to be what I want to be wich is righteous. Why is that so hard? I want it and yet it is such a struggle. I realized that sometimes we are the ones who make it hard. Yes we are given trials but we are also given everything that we need to get through the trials and all we have to do is use the resources that we have been given. We can become great in this life if we desire that and work for it. I want to become like the prophet someday. When President Hinkley was the prophet, I looked up to him with all my heart. So when he passed away, I was very sad, but in a way I was comforted. I was think about what it would be like to be the prophet and stand at the judgement seat before our Heavenly Father. I predict that he would say, "well done, I am very pleased." I want that so badly. As I was pondering this I came to realize that I can have that. You don't have to be a prophet for Heavenly Father to be pleased. So that was my goal and will be throughout the remainder of my life. I can and will do it with desire as well as the help of my Heavenly Father.
When I think about being righteous, I think about being Christlike. Taking upon myself attributed that Christ had, makes me a better person each day. I strive to be like him and see a difference in my life when I do. I have a friend who was acting very different in a good way. One night we were talking and she said that she was trying to take upon her one more Christlike attribute each week. I told her that I could see a big difference and she stared crying with thanks because she had been working so hard towards that. Becoming like Christ is what I strive to be when I am trying to be righteous. It works. We are judged in the next life for our achievement in this life. "And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgement the the people in uprightness." (Psalms 9:8) Christ is the ultimate example and if we are like him, we could not be any better. The trial is continually doing striving to be that through all of our trials. It is hard, but it will pay off. "For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." (11:7) True happiness comes from being Christlike.
Everyone here on earth is striving to be more righteous in some way or another, so we are all together in working towards this everlasting goal. "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness and honour." Through the hard times, we can make it with Heavenly Father's help and guidance. If we turn our hearts towards him and always strive to be Christlike, we will live in happiness with our Heavenly Father and family for eternity. That is my ultimate goal that I work towards each day to be better in every aspect of everything that I do so that I can return to live with my Heavenly Father once more.
Sources Cited:
The Holy Bible
The Doctrine and Covenants
LDS Hymns
The Book of Mormon
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11 comments:
Savanna,
Thank you! I enjoyed all of the rich personal experiences you shared. It felt like your organization was a little loose. Make sure your paragraphs and introduction have clear topic sentences.
I really enjoyed your personal expeirence. I like how it showed some of the attributes of the spirit. i enjoyed how it helps us understand we dont need to be perfect but just try.
I felt the same way after I was baptized!
Good blog! I like when you talked about how when you don't have the spirit, you might not actually be doing something bad, but there might be something else that is better for you. That is so true!
This reminds me of the "good, better, best" talk! We need to have the spirit, like you said, so that we know we are becoming more righteous.
I like how you talked about how we will have trials and challenges in our lives, but they're for our benefit and we need to remain righteous. It's important that we continually progress in righteousness so we can make it back to live with our Father in Heaven someday!
Thank you so much. You have no idea what you have done for me. I know I used to be super critical of myself, and I too was striving to be like the prophets, convinced that that was the only way that I could obtain salvation. Thank you for contradicting that notion and taking that burden from me.
I liked your comment about how we don't necessarily have to be in a bad place to not feel the Spirit because we could be in a better place. That's the idea of the Gospel is always putting forth your best in order to someday become perfect.
I liked how you talked about being not just in good places, but the BEST places! Very true.
I loved your personal experience. It really demonstrates who and what the spirit is and what he does for us. Great job and a great testimony. Thanks for your words.
I too have gained a great testimony of the importance of trials for our growth. Like you they are the most memorable times of growth towards my heavenly father.
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