"The Role of the Soul" -Kyle Jacobson

"THE ROLE of the SOUL: It's part in the plan of happiness" By: Kyle Jacobson


Our soul is the most precious thing God has given to us, second being our body. In our existence, our souls travel along a wonderful journey. Starting with the pre-mortal existence, where we lived with God, but didn’t have a body. To satisfy this need, we were sent to earth, where we gained a gift far greater than any earthly present, our bodies. As we live in this earthy state, we have hope for what is to come, the resurrection. This cycle is called the plan of happiness, where Heavenly Father gave us a way to “receive a fullness of joy.” (True to the Faith).
In our pre-mortal existence, we were spirit sons and daughters of our Heavenly father. We lived with him in Heaven. Heavenly Father presented a plan for us to become like him, by coming to earth and obtaining a body, and to have a fullness of joy. We gathered in a council in which God presented his plan for us to gain a body. In this council, the pre-mortal Jesus Christ, who is the first-born son of Heavenly Father, Covenanted to be the savior of our souls. While in this council, one spirit son of Heavenly Father, Lucifer also presented a plan in which we would give up our agency and not come to earth. We chose to come to this earth, and to follow God’s plan. We need to show him that we still follow him, and that we are taking care of our souls. Throughout our pre-mortal lives, we developed our identity and increased our spiritual capabilities. Heavenly Father “stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good...thou wast chosen before thou wast born,” (Abraham 3:23.) This scripture shows that we were good in heaven, what is stopping us from being good now? We also see that we were chosen before we were born, we were chosen and we agreed to accomplish great things on this earth. We need to live worthily, and take care of our souls in order to rise to the promises we made in Heaven. In heaven we had agency and we made important decisions, such as the decision to follow God’s plan. We prepared to come to earth. How are we utilizing our time here on earth, that we have prepared for in heaven? This question is something I have pondered over and over again. One thing that has been a large portion of my day to day life has been watching t.v. I used to watch around two episodes of television a day, amounting to an hour and a half or so. This was not only affecting my academic life, but also my spiritual and social life. I would take time away from my studies to view these episodes, resulting in long nights of academic “catch-up” time. Once I was finished with my homework, it was late into the night. I was tired. I would put off scripture study until I had finished, in effect, I wouldn’t get anything out of scripture study, that is if I even read it at all. I realized the toll this was taking on my life, and I knew it was not what God was wanting me to do with my life. I made a vow that I would not watch an episode of television on my own accord again. It was extremely hard at first, yet I have pulled through so far, and I have seen great improvements in my life, such as more homework getting done, I’m happier, my self esteem has gone up, and most importantly I’m getting a lot more out of my gospel endeavors. It is so vital that we use our time wisely. We have been sent here for a reason, that reason is not to mess around with time wasting activities.

“And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit, and put it into him,” In the scripture concordance program that soul translates to "breath of life", when we were created it says in Abraham 5:7, " and took his spirit, and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." When we came to earth our soul was joined with a physical body, created by God. We are now experiencing mortal life. We also experience temptation and sin, due to our agency we fall short sometimes. “Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:22) It is said the greatest punishment ever, is to be denied a body as satan was. He is now trying everything in his power to bring us down to misery and endless woe. This part of our existence is a time of learning in which we can prove ourselves, choose to come unto christ, and prepare to be worthy of eternal life. It is also a time when we can help others find the truth and gain a testimony of the plan of salvation. “It beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” (Abraham 32:28) When we grow in the understanding of the gospel, and increase our knowledge in this life, it “beginneth to be delicious to [us]. We need to make our lives a time of enlightening understanding in the sight of God, we need to make it useful and worthwhile. “there’s still time for you, a time to buy and a time to lose, there’s never a wish better than this, when you only got a hundred years to live.” (Five for Fighting-100 years) We have come to this earth to learn, prove ourselves, and prepare for eternal life. Ask yourself, what am I currently doing in my life to fulfill these “terra-goals,” or goals for our earth lfe? How can I better center my life around these goals?

“There is a space between death and the resurrection of the body...until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall..be reunited,” (Alma 40:21). When we die, we will await the resurrection, we will be sent to spirit paradise or spirit prison where the righteous will teach the wicked. At the time of the resurrection, our spirits and bodies will reunite. We need to take care of our bodies as well as our souls. They go hand in hand. If we do not take care of our bodies, we are not taking care of our spirits, they are joined together as one entity. How would you feel if you had given someone a priceless gift, the greatest of all gifts, and they did not take care of it? This is how God feels when we don’t take care of our bodies. Yet if we have physical ailments we need not fear, when the resurrection comes to pass, our bodies will be made perfect. The resurrection is also a time for us to be judged of our sins. In this life, we need to prepare to meet God. It is so important to live our lives so we may “stand blameless before God at the last day,” (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2). What we do in this life determines how we live in for eternity. This life is “but a small moment.” It is only 80-100 years, that is infinitely small compared to the amount of time in eternity. If we don’t try our hardest in these few years, we will not be able to live with God in the celestial kingdom, throughout all eternity. I cannot stress enough the importance of living righteously NOW! Do not wait until next week, tomorrow, or even in an hour. Live righteously NOW.

In the hymn, ‘Jesus, Lover of my Soul’, it states “Jesus, Lover of My Soul...Safe into the haven guide; Oh, receive my soul at last.” In this hymn, we see that Jesus loves us, and it shows how important our souls are to him. It illustrates the saving power of his atonement, and that he will receive our souls after this trial filled earth-life. My soul and my body are what I am, through Christ I know that I can be saved, and live with God in heaven. I know that my soul and my body are the greatest of all gifts. They are so extremely precious. I know that Heavenly father sent me here for a wise purpose. I know that I chose to come to this earth, and I need to show my Father that I can fulfill the promises I have committed to keeping. I love this gospel. I love my soul and my body. I love my God, and his son Jesus Christ. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Works Cited


-“Jesus, Lover of My Soul” Hymn
-Five for Fighting-”100 Years”
-D&C 4:2
-Abraham 32:28
-D&C10:22
-Abraham 3:23
-Alma 40:21
-Abraham 5:7
-True to the Faith-A Gospel Reference