Tammy’s Sacrament Meeting Talk
January 31,
2016
How the Plan
of Salvation Affects My Life
“In the premortal
existence, Heavenly Father prepared a plan to enable us to become like Him and
receive a fullness of joy.”1 This plan is often referred to as the plan of salvation or
the great plan of happiness.
“The plan of salvation
is the fulness of the gospel. It includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement
of Jesus Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel.
Moral agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves, is also essential in
Heavenly Father’s plan.”1
We should all feel really good about
ourselves. Each one of us made the wise
choice to follow our elder brother Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation as
was explained to us in the pre-mortal existence. Unfortunately one third of our brothers and
sisters instead chose to follow Satan. They relinquished the opportunity to
receive a body and experience mortality.
Our purpose here on Earth is
twofold. To gain a physical body and
learn how to master it. And to be tested, to learn and grow through trials and
temptations and to paraphrase the prophet Abraham, “to
prove ourselves to see if we will do all things that the Lord commands us.”2
Our bodies are a tremendous gift from
our Heavenly Father. They are also what make us more powerful than Satan
and his hosts. They will never have bodies and are very sore about that.
They will do everything in their power to destroy our agency and make us
miserable like them.
Elder David A. Bednar said, "In the school of mortality, we experience
tenderness, love, kindness, happiness, sorrow, disappointment, pain, and even
the challenges of physical limitations in ways that prepare us for eternity.
Simply stated, there are lessons we must learn and experiences we must have, as
the scriptures describe, “according to the flesh”…”3
"Satan
relentlessly works to distort the most important elements of the Father’s plan.
He does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted.…Because a
physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual
development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use
our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the
adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, entices
us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool
he does not have is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to
spiritual destruction."3
The second aspect of our mortal
experience is to be tested and to prove ourselves.
I've heard people say things like,
"Why do I have to go through such hard trials when I'm trying to do what's
right?" Or to sum it up succinctly, "Why do bad things happen
to good people?" The answer is easy.
Let's compare our earth life or
mortality to school. There are many degrees available in a variety of
subjects from institutions of higher learning. Everybody who opts for a
higher education receives some kind of degree upon completing the requirements.
Our experience here in mortality is much
the same. We are here to learn and work
towards a degree of glory. Depending on
the degree we choose to work towards, the requirements may vary greatly. Working towards an associate degree requires
less time and effort than does working towards a doctorate degree. Similarly, working towards a celestial degree
of glory requires more of us than does a lesser degree of glory. Our individual knowledge and experiences vary
greatly whether in academia or mortality. Those who choose the easier path
don’t learn as much and don’t progress as far as those who choose a more
advanced degree.
Sometimes we go through difficult
trials because we need them to learn and grow.
This is how we progress towards becoming more like our Heavenly
Father. And sometimes we go through
trials as a consequence of our own or someone else’s bad choices. Since agency is so central to our Heavenly Father’s
plan, He will never take away someone’s agency.
This is why sometimes bad things happen to good people.
Those who are able to face difficult
trials and overcome them learn more and become closer to being like Heavenly
Father and thus progress farther and more rapidly than those who sail smoothly
through life.
Whenever I face a difficult trial I
think that Heavenly Father must love me so much to let me take the advanced
course. It also gives me confidence to
know that He will never give me more than I can handle. So when I face
adversity, I have confidence that I can conquer it. Knowing that it will help me become more like
my Heavenly Father and progress toward exaltation. Much like taking a difficult
course in college helps us progress towards obtaining our desired degree.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “…adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise.
Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our
loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials
so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and
experience joy.”4
A couple of weeks ago I was
re-watching the last General Conference.
Something Sister Linda S. Reeves said really jumped out at me, “I do not know why we have the many trials that we have,
but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and
everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward,
we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that
was required?” I believe that if we could daily remember and recognize the
depth of that love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us, we would be
willing to do anything to be back in Their presence again, surrounded by Their
love eternally. What will it matter …what we suffered here if, in the end,
those trials are the very things which qualify us for eternal life and
exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior?”5
To me, that puts a different
perspective on how we should view our lives here in mortality. We should view
this experience as a gift from a loving Heavenly Father, who wants the very
best for us and wants us to become like Him.
Mortality is not a punishment that we just have to muddle through to
reach our eternal reward. I like to view
it as an intense educational experience that we are privileged to have. I imagine we rejoiced in our pre-mortal life
at the opportunity. Getting to come to
earth and experience mortality is like getting into a prestigious
university. Both of which provide many challenges and require hard work,
yet can be very rewarding.
Even though it’s a test and an
intense learning experience, mortality is also meant to be happy. Nephi said, “…
men are that they might have joy.”6 If you are one of those
people who says, “I’ll be happy when…” -- stop it. Take the time to re-examine
your life and count all the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon you,
and you will find that they far outweigh the adversity in your life. Focus on the good and not the bad. If we are trying to do what’s right and
follow the Lord’s commandments, he has promised us much joy and happiness in
this life.
When my sister and I were both in
college I went to visit her at her university while I was on spring break at
mine. I was on campus with her when she
went to check her grade in one of her classes.
As we were walking to the building where it was posted, she told me that
if she didn’t get a certain mark in the class that she would not be able to
graduate. So when we got there and saw
that the score was lower than she had hoped – she decided that she would go
directly to the registrar’s office and drop all of her classes and drop out of
school completely. As we were hastily
walking to the registrar’s office I gently reminded her that all hope was not
lost. She would still be able to graduate.
Granted it would take more effort, but you don’t throw away four years
of hard work because of one failing grade. Thankfully it was a long walk to the
registrar’s office and by the time we got there I had convinced her to stay in
school and complete her degree. Which
she did.
Do we sometimes get discouraged like
my sister and feel like we’re failing and will never be able to obtain the
degree we’re working towards? A university
will not kick you out for failing one test or even one course. Likewise, all hope is not lost because we
occasionally fail in mortality. In
academia we can retake classes and continue our quest for a degree. In
mortality we can repent and get back on the straight and narrow path toward our
celestial degree.
Don’t ever give up hope brothers and
sisters. No matter how bad things seem, they will get better. This life is too short to get discouraged,
lose hope and fail. Remember, this too
shall pass and if we endure it well, the rewards are unfathomable.
Because the gift of moral agency is
central to the plan of salvation, I want to turn my focus now to consequences
of choice. We’re all well aware of
consequences to bad choices, so I’m going to focus on the consequences of our
good choices.
The easiest example I can think of is
The Word of Wisdom. By choosing to live the Word of Wisdom, the
consequence is a healthy body. Another example is tithing. When we
pay our tithing, the consequence is financial and spiritual blessings.
Some of which may not be transparent. For instance, we may not
always get an unexpected check in the mail when we pay our tithing. The
Lord might bless us by our car not breaking down and not having the added
expense of repairs. Or perhaps we may not get sick and therefore save
money on doctor bills. Those are consequences of paying tithing we may
not recognize. Obeying the law of chastity is another example. Some of
the consequences of obeying the law of chastity are universal consequences to obeying
God's commandments including: an increased outpouring of the Holy Ghost,
increased happiness, and one we might not think about much but it is certainly
true -- increased self-confidence and self-worth.
After my accident, the future I had
envisioned for myself in this life changed drastically. But it didn’t change my eternal perspective
or who I am or how I feel about myself. I
don’t base my self-worth on superficial things like what I look like or how
successful I am according to the world’s standards but, rather, I base my self-worth
on who I am and how I’m living my life.
Therefore, my self-esteem is as high as, or higher than it’s ever
been. Self-confidence and self-worth
have never been something I have struggled with because I know who I am. I know that I am a daughter of God and, am of
royal birth. I have the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know the plan of
salvation. I know where I came from, why I'm here and where I'm going.
I think this is something we as members of the Church often take for
granted. Most people in the world don't have the knowledge that we have.
Nor the blessings that come from knowing it and living it.
When I was on my mission -- I served
in the Florida Tampa Mission -- my companion and I were out tracting one day,
which is something we did quite often. After
knocking doors for a few hours and having no success, we discussed how lucky we
were to have the gospel and knowledge of the plan of salvation. We were
offering everybody a priceless gift -- far greater than rubies or diamonds or
gold -- yet nobody wanted it. If everybody actually understood what we
were offering them when we knocked on their door, they would have dropped
everything and begged us to teach them.
It brings to mind a line from a hymn,
“While they who reject this glad message, shall never
such happiness know.”7 The
glad message is the plan of salvation.
If we follow it, we are promised exceeding happiness – not only in this
life, but in the life to come.
I like to think of the plan of
salvation as a treasure map. The treasure being exaltation. How many of us
use the treasure map every day to guide us towards the treasure? And how
many of us roll it up and put it in the corner to collect dust?
What is the secret to using our
treasure map daily to keep us on the right path? The answer is daily prayer and
scripture study.
President Monson said, “Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal
voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance
to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings
from that still, small voice; and I do not overlook the holy scriptures, which
contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets—provided to us to
help us successfully cross the finish line.”8
President Uchtdorf said, “I understand that, at times, some may wonder why they
attend Church meetings or why it is so important to read the scriptures
regularly or pray to our Heavenly Father daily. Here is my answer: You do these
things because they are part of God’s path for you. And that path will take you
to your “happily ever after” destination.”4
A university will not give you a
degree if you do not complete the required coursework—even if you’re just one
class short. Likewise, we cannot receive our celestial degree if we do not
endure to the end.
When I was on my mission my companion
and I tracted into an elderly lady one day.
She invited us in and proceeded to tell us that she and her husband were
members of the Church. Which we found
odd because we were the only missionaries in that area and knew all of the
members. She went on to tell us that
when they retired and moved to Florida, they also retired from the Church. Both had served many years in various
callings in the Church including him in a bishopric and her in a Relief Society
presidency.
Brothers and sisters we can never
retire from the Church. We must not only
endure to the end but we must endure it well. How sad to work so hard towards
completing a degree just to quit a few credits shy of earning it.
The plan of salvation provides the
syllabus and instructions on how to earn our celestial degree. By following it, we will not only find peace
and happiness in this life but we will also earn our celestial degree of glory.
The plan of salvation brings peace
and comfort to my life. For I know my Heavenly Father lives and loves me.
I know my elder brother and Savior Jesus Christ atoned for me and made it
possible for me to live with Them again. I know why I'm here -- the plan
of salvation provides the blueprint on how to reach exaltation. I know I will
be resurrected one day and my broken and scarred body will be made perfect.
I know that our short time here in mortality is but a blink of the eye,
even a nanosecond compared to eternity. And if we endure it well, how
great shall be our joy in the eternities.
May we all strive to follow our
Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness and endure it well. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
References:
1 – True to the Faith,
Plan of Salvation, 2004
2– Abraham 3:25
3-- David A. Bednar, We
Believe in Being Chaste, April 2013 General Conference
4 –Dieter F. Uchtdorf,
Your Happily Ever After, April 2010 General Conference
5--Linda S. Reeves, Worthy
of Our Promised Blessings, October 2015 General Conference
6 – 2 Nephi 2:25
7 – “We Thank Thee, O God,
for a Prophet”, Hymn Number 19
8– Thomas S. Monson,
The Race of Life, April 2012 General Conference
Excellent talk. Glad I could hear it in person.
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, I am not the sister mentioned. :)