To My Children

And yet, think of what God the Father is asking us to do. “God asks imperfect men to complete his perfect work.” Why would He do this unless He wants us to give our all to becoming as He is now? It is only the blink of an eye here on Earth, but it is a timeless request from eternity. How can mere mortals, spiritual infants of God, perfect the work that has been set forth? To bring the Gospel to all the world, to set at right the incorrect doctrines and precepts of men, to perform the ordinances from the beginning of humanity in the time of Adam, to seal the generations from this time back, to learn about creation from the smallest particle to the vastness of the universe, to stand for liberty and to bring liberty to all men, to raise families unto the most High, and to record as much as we can of all that we do that our records may be reconciled with those of Heaven.

…. God asks this of us, we lowly humans. If by asking this monumental task of us, God has shown his absolute trust and compassion in us, who are we to doubt his judgment? After all He is God, omnipotent and omniscient. He asks us because He knows something about us that we either don’t know about ourselves or haven’t accepted about ourselves. He knows all and this generation which has so much to give, which has so much to learn, this generation has the gall to doubt Deity. As a loving parent, He is tolerant, patient, compassionate, and loving, waiting us out until we figure out that what He is asking for himself, He is really asking for us. “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) (2) This is His glory… our perfection, our salvation, and our exaltation. He is asking us to do what is best for us, having given to us the keys, the map, and the instructions to the Kingdom of Heaven, available for the taking if we would accept his instruction.

…..Through the continuing cycle of sanctification through obedience, we become purer in heart and mind, our spirits receive knowledge, and we are strengthened in every way possible. We gain the spiritual and mental fortitude to endure the cruelest of afflictions and tribulations. This is a reward, a blessing for obedience that we are not eternally miserable like Satan. Sure, we may be miserable because we don’t understand a Gospel precept, but we have the blessing, if we obey, of eternal enlightenment, of knowledge of the cosmos, of a direct connection to our Heavenly Father, and of understanding the purposes of everything we may face in this life. Isn’t it worth it? Isn’t this worth that extra bit of obedience? Isn’t it worth the extra effort to clean your mind that you might be sanctified before your Maker? For this, we’ll be rewarded with a seat in the Kingdom of Heaven, and all because we chose to obey.

…..Eternal life should not begin when we have passed away from this life; eternal life can begin when we repent and make the baptismal covenant, when we have accepted the value of the Atonement through our weekly partaking of the sacrament. Eternal life has begun as we begin each day more like our Savior, studying his word, studying the Atonement, and studying his life. We move on, living a life rich in meaning, overflowing with charity, restrained only by the hours we remain awake. We serve, we forgive, we bow our heads in humility, and lift our voice in song, we treat each other as Christ would treat us, and at the end surrounded by friends and family, spirits and tangibles, we hear that voice beckon us to let go, “well done, thou good and faithful servant, well done”.

…..The convert to the Gospel of Jesus Christ gets this. He sees this life not just to the end of his days, but into eternity. He sees visions of endless children and family reunions of millions. And he knows, lying there in his death bed, that all the pain and sorrow, the loss and the suffering, he knows….. it was all worth it. Because as he goes to the light, he sees Adam to his Grandfather to his grandchildren yet to be born, and he sees his Redeemer and his Maker, arms crossed, smiles on their faces, and light radiating from their countenances. It was all worth it. Coming unto Christ was the best thing he ever did in his life. And one day, not so many Earth years later, he receives his summons to return to Earth and to collect his wife. He does so quietly, humbly, peacefully in the still of the night. To her mind, he is a familiar angel, but in her heart, she always knew that he would come back for her, that temple vow binding them in Heaven as on Earth. They are two converts having raised their posterity to Christ, having labored for Christ, having lived for Christ, and at the end of their days, having been received by Christ.