Family - The Natural State of Man - The Eternal State of Man

I have a family here on Earth -

They are so good to me

I want to share my life with them

Through all eternity. . .

Family - the basic unit of society 

and of eternity.

The family is ordained of God.

Our Father has a family - it's me

it's you, all others too

We are His children.

God gave us families

To help us become

What He wants us to be

This is how He shares His love

For the family is of God.

You don't choose your family. 

They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. 

Desmond Tutu

Our family is a circle of strength and love, 

with every birth and union it grows. 

Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger.

Family is not an important thing. 

It is everything. 

Michael J. Fox

Family

Forever

For always

No matter

What

FAMILIES 

are like 

branches 

on a tree.

We GROW 

in different 

directions

Yet our Roots 

remain as one.

When all the dust has settled

And all the crowds are gone,

The things that matter are faith,

family, and friends.

Having a place to go is 

HOME

Having someone to love is 

FAMILY

Having both is a 

BLESSING

Father ( Mother)

In the play my turn on Earth, there is a song entitled it isn't good to be alone. It has one line that says "You've never heard about a father without a mother."

So I choose here to define the role of God as our Father and include in that understanding that all we say about Father includes our Heavenly Mother.

Lesson 2 in Preach My Gospel begins:

God is the father is the Father of our spirits. We are literally His children, and He loves us... He wants us to become like him."

This statement is basic to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly parents love us and want us to become like them. So who are they and what are they like? What kind of person are we supposed to become?

Joseph Smith himself taught this: "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God. And to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another..."

The statement from Preach My Gospel teaches the basics:

• In relationship God is our literal parent - we have Divine DNA
• In-character He is Love.

I have had to work my whole life to understand and to know in my heart that 

God = Love

In all honesty, the scriptures do not make that clear. I have come to accept that often the scriptures reflect a historical period of time and a certain people's beliefs of who God is. Those accounts don't always reflect truth itself but only the author's belief of what is true.  In Moroni 10:5 it says "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  It is my conviction that the Spirit will also help us discern those things in our scriptures that do NOT convey truth about who God is.  We must exercise wisdom in reading scripture.

I spent too many too much of my life afraid of God the Father while finding great joy in loving His Son Jesus.

In the book The God Who Weeps by Terryl and Fiona Givens, the authors suggest that while it may be possible to believe in the wrathful God we see portrayed in some scriptures and in some religions, we must ask ourselves "Is that God worthy of our worship?".

I say no! He is not. 

The clues to the real character of God are taught by Jesus. It is Jesus who taught us that God is our Father. Jesus taught us to call God Father and to pray to Him with those words. And Jesus himself addressed God as Father.

And Jesus taught that he and the Father are one.

John 14:9 
Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet thou has not known me Philip? He that has seen me has seen the father semicolon and how say is now then, show us the father?

How could the Father Tell The World of love and tenderness? 

He sent his son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness. 

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go? 

He sent his son to walk with men on Earth, that we may know. 

How could the Father Tell The World of sacrifice, of death? 

He sent his son to die for us and rise with living breath? 

What does the father ask of us? What do the scripture say? 

Have faith, have hope, live like his son. Help others on their? his way. 

What does he ask? Live like His Son.

Our Heavenly Parents and Jesus are the same in character. Jesus life is a reflection of His Parents. We are to use that model to guide our lives!

So what then are these characteristics that we want to emulate?

This is who God - our Heavenly Parents - are!

Forgiveness (Forgetting)

Forgiveness is one of the great gifts that the Lord has given to us - he asks us to forgive others not because he won't forgive us if we don't forgive - he asks us to forgive others so that we might be free of the distress that not forgiving brings into our lives.

Matthew 18:23-35 tells the Parable of the Debtors. A certain man owed the king 10,000 talents and when he begged for more time, the king had pity on him and forgave him the whole debt!

That same man turned around and demanded a fellow servant repay him an hundred pence - a very small debt. When the man begged for patience and time, "he would not but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt."

When the king finds out, in verse 34 "And his Lord was rough, and delivered him to the tormentors, tell he should pay all that was done unto him."

There in the last verse we find the punchline for this story.  "So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses."

Two things have always bothered me about this story. First, how can you repay a debt if you are in prison? It appears there is no possible resolution for the debtor. That seems inconsistent with my understanding that is never too late to repent and that wording at the end "so likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also to you" makes it sound like God will punish us.

I have come to understand that the "tormentors" referred to in the story are in fact the torments in our own souls when we are unable to forgive. When we harbor negative feelings toward another person we are infected with unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, slander, resentment - maybe even hatred and thoughts of revenge. These feelings don't have to turn to action to harm us. Their very presence in our hearts prevents us from being happy.

And man is that he might have joy!

God wants us to forgive so that we can fill our hearts and our lives with love. Forgiveness is a gift from a loving parent.

Without forgiveness, life is governed by... an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation. Roberto Assagioli

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because 

God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. 

C S Lewis

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. 

It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. 

Corrie Ten Boom

Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven. 

Igor Stravinsky

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. 

Lewis B Smedes

Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning. 

Desmond Tutu

So what of forgetting?

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Jeremiah 31:34 . . . for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

D&C 58:42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord remember them no more.

I will not presume to speak for the Lord and say what exactly he means when he says he will remember no more.  What makes sense to me though is to say that our sins will never be used against us in a hurtful way.

Remembering my own sin keeps me humble and compassionate of others. I have been there, done that. Life is a learning experience. I learned as a teacher that's the best learning often took place after the test or the paper or the experiment. Those conversations were no longer based on theory but rather on experience.

Likewise, I think we will be able to have a similar experience with our Heavenly Parents and in the presence of pure love where there is no intent to hurt, we can even look back at our life and talk about what we learned from our experiences and gain even greater insights from them.

Perhaps we'll have similar conversations with those we have had need to forgive and those who have had need to forgive us.

I want to learn - to change into grow and to progress and become all that I can. Any remembering that helps me to get there is welcomed. I trust that in a place of love and forgiveness that will all be possible.

Garden (of Eden)

There are some stories that I accept as literal and yet they still can be seen as allegories because they teach universal truths that apply to all of us. I find several of these universal truths in the story of Adam and Eve.

1. We all lived in a "Garden of Eden" before we came to Earth. It was our pre-existent life in the presence of God and it was beautiful.

2. Like Adam and Eve, we chose to take the great step to become mortal and to live in an environment where we would experience both good and evil.

Moses 4:12

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that his became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she... Did eat and gave unto her husband and he did eat."

Job 38: 4-7 

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

3. We all make mistakes and try to hide. We know what shame feels like and we also know what forgiveness and peace feel like as another so graciously forgives us.  Nakedness is the symbol for shame and the clothing is the symbol of forgiveness or the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:10

Behold I was naked and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:21

Unto Adam and also unto his wife did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins and clothed them.

4. We don't like life's difficulties but at the same time we recognize the growth that comes from these times.

Moses 5:11

And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.

Glory

Woody Guthrie wrote:

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

This train is bound for Glory,

Don't carry nothing but the righteous and the holy.

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

The following verses of his song name all those who won't be on the train: gamblers, liars, thieves, big shot ramblers, smokers, small-time jokers, con men, wheeler dealers, here and gone men, rustlers, side street walkers.

Guthrie's use of the word Glory here is perhaps a synonym for Heaven but I see much more. Latter-day scriptures describe it this way - as we begin to live the principles of the Gospel, glory comes to us.

D&C 66:2

Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fullness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days.

D&C 88:19 talks about how when we fill the measure of our creation, we shall be crowned with glory, and return to the presence of God. That would be the ultimate Glory - to live with God in his presence where "light preceded forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space."

However, the scripture also clarifies that we shall each "enjoy that which they are willing to receive because they were not willing to receive that which they might have received."

D&C 76 makes clear that everyone will receive a kingdom of portion of Glory - but the fullness of glory is with God, in his presence, and we have to be willing to live celestial laws to be there.

So if we go back to our song, this train - the celestial train - is bound for celestial Glory - and if you want to purchase a ticket for this train, it will mean a willingness to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is through Him alone that any of us will heal from the wounds of mortality.

And frankly, I am ready. I'm tired and weary of living in a world filled with hate and anger, murders and war, abuse and broken homes, drugs and porn, thieves and robbers and all those who Guthrie says won't be on that train. I want to be on that train!

God's Will

Goodness

The world is filled with trouble and always has been.  Watching the news is depressing. It could make you believe the old Protestant teachings - that man is by nature sinful and unclean - utterly depraved.

The great miracle is that there is more goodness than bad in the world and what is more amazing is that at the heart of every person - no matter who they are and what they have done - lives a capacity to change and progress and become like God.

It is in the book of Moses chapter 6 where this is made clear.

Moses 6: 54
The sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

It then goes on to explain in verses 55-57
... Even so when they begin to grow up, send conceived it in their hearts and they taste the bitter that they may know to price the good.

And it is given unto them to know good from evil: wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it on to your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent..."

We MUST believe in the innate goodness of humans - their divine nature.  We MUST believe in the goodness that is possible. We must join hands with God in helping all his children to "return home", which means they become like God, realizing their full potential.  That happens when we finally understand God's plan for His children: Who am I?  Where did I come from?  What is the purpose of my life?  Where am I going?

Knowing the Gospel truths helps us to fulfill our potential because we "remember" who we are.

Those of us blessed to know that about ourselves have the privilege of sharing that with the world.  I have always loved the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.  It inspires me to bring God's peace into the world.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace on earth.

Lord, let me thy servant be.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is offence, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine master

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Saint Francis of Assisi 1182 - 1226

Healing

Isaiah 53: 5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes are we healed. 

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear (reverence) my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.

Luke 4:18
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. 

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This Shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing. The Savior foretold that he would "feed his flock like a shepherd... bind up that which is broken, and... strengthen that which is sick." The apostate Israel was depicted as being consumed with sinful "wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores,"the Savior encouraged, assorted and promised healing. Ensign May 2017

Elder Renlund is quoting or citing the following Scriptures:

John 10:11
I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. 

John 10:14
I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

Alma 5:38
Behold I say unto you, that the Good Shepherd doth call you, yea, and in his own name doth he call you, which is the name of Christ. 

D&C 50:44
Wherefore, I am in your mist, and I am the Good Shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this Rock shall never fall.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young. 

Ezekiel 34:16
I will seek that which was lost, and bring in that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick. 

Isaiah 1:5-6
. . . the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.

Here on earth our thoughts and actions become encumbered with that which is corrupt, unholy, and emperor. The Dustin filth of the world staying our souls, making it difficult to recognize and remember our birthright and purpose. but all this cannot change who we truly are. The fundamental Divinity of our nature remains.    Dieter F. Uchtdorf  "He will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home"  Ensign May 2016

I see in all these scriptures and quotes a basic restoration truth - I am a child of God - divine by nature. During my life here on Earth I become wounded, some self-inflicted, but oh, so many inflicted upon me by this world. I long to be healed.

When I pray I am sometimes seeking forgiveness but more often seeking healing from hurts, strength for my weak efforts, faith in myself. I don't feel sinful. I feel wounded and I come to the Lord seeking His healing. I expect that is what we all feel.

I am Wounded

The world is so cruel and harsh.

Filled with angry words,

Foul mouths spout horrifying insults.

I am wounded.

The world is devoid of trust.

I can no longer tell

What is truth and what is lie.

I am wounded.

The world is uncaring.

Unfaithful to its own,

Millions upon millions roam the earth

looking for a place to call home,

The vast unwanted.

I am wounded.

The world is filled with despair.

It's people are hurting

And finding relief in the worst of places:

Drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, porn,

Suicide, violence, mind-numbing games.

I am wounded.

The earth itself is reeling to and fro.

Fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis

Earthquakes and tornadoes

Are destroying homes and lives.

I am wounded.

This is our human lot.

Each century has its own tale to tell

Of the horrors man inflicts upon man,

Of storms that overwhelm,

Of nightmares and daymares,

Of wounds

And wounds

And wounds.

I am wounded.

We need healing. Oh my, do we need healing.

I find that needed healing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today was a great example. For two hours I stepped away from it all and was reminded of all that brings me peace and hope in the presence of an apostle of God, Elder Ballard.

Opening hymn: 
Come o thou King of Kings.
We've waited long for thee.
With healing and I wings
to set thy people free.

Rest hymn:
When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us
And we know that Deliverance is nigh.

Closing hymn:
Abide with me, 'tis eventide and lone will be the night
If I cannot commune with thee
Not find in thee my light.
The darkness of the world I fear
Would in my home abide.

I found myself tearing up during all three hymns. I have been feeling weary and burdened of late. The music brought peace.

Today I was reminded of who I am. I am a daughter of Heavenly Parents. I lived with them spiritually before I came here. That eternal part of me will still live when I leave this mortal world.

"As we allow our covenants to govern our lives, rather than our circumstances, we will find peace and happiness."

I know that to be true. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have made sacred covenants to follow Him and to bless His children here on Earth.

In a world so full of despair I want to be a ray of sunshine. For every evil done, perhaps my one good deed can bring hope to someone.

And, today I experienced healing by just remembering the Savior and being wrapped in the warmth of the Spirit as I worshiped with my fellow saints. But the ultimate healing will only come through Jesus Christ because He is our Savior and this is a fallen world. In the meantime His gospel brings hope to me.

• I find meaning and purpose through the Gospel
• I am forgiven - that wonderful Gift
• I am loved - by God and by my family and friend 
• I find joy in serving others
• I find hope in sealing ordinances and eternal promises

For right now, that is healing enough.

Heaven and Hell

Like the story of Adam and Eve, the concepts of heaven and hell are so ingrained in our culture that it is hard not to picture angels on clouds playing harps or devils with pitchforks or suffering souls standing in never-ending flames.

Neither is it hard to imagine a person at death being sent to one or the other of those places.

But none of that is true! Emphatically not true.

Among all the restoration truths, we learn that a Loving Father in Heaven wants eternal happiness for all his children.

"This is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

He will always be there like a lighthouse beckoning us home!

Heaven to a latter-day saint is a state of happiness created by living laws or principles that create happiness. The ultimate destiny of man is to become like God - to adopt his attributes and to live once more in his presence surrounded by your family and friends.

Hell is a state of being - experienced when you know that your own choices are preventing you from experiencing heaven.

to be damned, is to be stuck - to not be progressing toward our eternal destiny. No one can do this to you. It is something you do to yourself - the result of your own choices.

During our earthly experience, we get to learn what both heaven and hell feel like. We have moments of bliss and we have moments of misery. We also learned that most of the time we bring those things upon ourselves.

But not always. Life is filled with hellish horrors. Wars rage. A child sex industry thrives. Racism shows its ugly head. The Holocaust reminds us how horrible human beings can be.

For all too many, earth is their hell and we wish for them that loving arms will greet them and heal them and that heaven will be their reward.

But the one thing I do know is this: God is not a sovereign judge watching our every move - ready to consign us to heaven or hell.

We are the children of Heavenly Parents who want us back home with them, living by the principles of happiness, and they are doing and will always be doing everything in their power to bring us there. And that will eventually happen for each of us that wants it.

And that is a Heavenly truth.

Holy Ghost

After our baptism, we are confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost with a promise that we can have the comfort and guidance we need throughout our life.

I wouldn't call myself a person deeply sensitive to those spiritual promptings. Even though I try to live worthy of them, I don't get regular messages or thoughts running through my head, prompting me that a friend needs my help today, etc.

But I do believe that I am a deeply spiritual person very much in tune with what is right and true and meaningful in life. I have an inner sense of right and wrong that I have learned to trust. That inner sense guides my daily choices. I can trust how I feel as I watch a movie or read a book. I stop when my "feelings" tell me to.

I trust those feelings to guide me on political issues and especially on social issues. I know that every single person is a Child of God. That knowledge is deep within me - a Gift of the Spirit. Therefore I cannot abide policies that separate children from their parents. I cannot abide laws that favor some at the expense of others. I believe these feelings and promptings are Gifts of the Spirit, too.

I am also very sensitive to scriptures that do not portray God in a correct manner.  I battled those for years and have come to understand that the reason they do not resonate is because they are corruptions of the nature of God and the Spirit has been telling me that all of my life.

I have had a few times in my life when the Spirit spoke to me with that silent knowing that is so hard to describe.

There was a time when I was about 10. A girlfriend and I had written our bikes to our elementary school and we were just playing in the stream there. A man came and sat down and started talking to us. I began to feel uncomfortable with the conversation and suddenly inside me there was this "knowing" that I cannot describe. But I knew we needed to leave and leave immediately. So I told my friend to grab her bike and follow me. I have no idea what may have happened but I knew I should trust that feeling.

It was December 29th 1997 when I was the most grateful I have ever been for that trusting of inner knowing as I call it. It was a Sunday morning and I was getting ready for church when suddenly I knew that Mom needed me. I didn't question - I knew. I called Hettie and told her I had to go see Mom, would she play the organ for me. Then I hurried to Mom's house and let myself in. I found Mom still in bed but unable to get up on her own. I called Ed and he came over to help. Well, you know the rest of that story. Mom died that afternoon at Botsford Hospital. I am so grateful that I was there with her.

That inner voice is the foundation of my testimony. I know deep in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I know God lives and is a loving Father. I know that the values and principles taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints are true. Honesty, integrity, kindness, living a covenant-based life, being faithful to your family, serving others, forgiving everybody, these are the true principles that bring happiness to our lives now and forever.

This testimony is still there in my heart when I have questions about policy or things that I hear someone at church say. So I stay the course, using the philosophy that my job is to become like the Savior. I find I can set aside those things I do not understand because my heart tells me that church is true. I trust the Spirit.

I have lived long enough to know that change is constant and the church is constantly changing and becoming better and better. In fact, I love it because it is free to change and adapt.

My bottom line - the Holy Ghost has so many ways of manifesting itself in our lives. I may experience it differently than others but it is nevertheless a powerful force in my life and when I am grateful for, one that I have learned to trust.