How many of us have a clear purpose in life? How many of us can say we have a vision of who we are and what we were meant to be in this world? Some of us may have more knowledge than others.
Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a little more knowledge about such things than the general population. What is it we know? We know we are literal sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father that loves us and wants the best for us. We know that we lived with Him before we were born into this world. We know that we were sent here to learn, to grow, to obtain a body, and to experience trials that would test our dedication to our Heavenly Father’s teachings.
We know that Heavenly Father does not leave us completely alone during our mortal stay. We know that He understood that mistakes would be made that would take us further away from Him. We know that the Savior was sent to be our example and Redeemer. He provides each of us with a firm set of parameters for our behavior and choices. He makes forgiveness and eternal life possible through His atonement and resurrection. We know that the best way to return to live with our Heavenly Father when we die is to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
We know a few other things. Members of the LDS church often enjoy a measure of testimony that is founded in God’s knowledge and care for them on a very personal level. He knows, understands, and loves each of us, better than we know ourselves. As part of this, He also understands just exactly what experiences we will need here on earth to reach our greatest potential as His child. In fact, there are many of us who may have specific goals they need to reach or tasks they need to complete. Here comes the tough part. Not all of us have an easy time figuring out what tasks we have been assigned or what roads we need to travel to become who Heavenly Father sees within us. Aside from understanding that Jesus Christ is our guide and Savior, we may feel lost when it comes to finding our own special place in God’s plan. I’ve talked before about the many good choices we each face every day. This is where those choices really matter.
It’s the little choices, sometimes things like rushing to get in a grocery line before someone else. It’s the big choices, like whom we should marry. It’s the sum of our lives and where we want to be when it comes to an end.
When I was a little girl I was essentially going to take over the world. I was determined to grow up to be a great scholar, an inspiring gospel teacher, a chef, a veterinarian, a linguist, a best-selling author, a concert pianist, an artist, a model mother and a model, and a few other things I now can’t remember. Though all of these are good and worthy goals, I’m not meant to be all of them and quite possibly not any of them. That’s up to God and me.
It’s important to remember that though we may lack a full vision and purpose for our lives that God does not have the same restrictions of mortality that we do. He does know us. He does know our mistakes, hurts, joys and aspirations. He does know exactly what it takes to have the sum of our lives equal unfathomable happiness. The disciple of Christ uses this tool as well as the others we gain from Christ’s example in order to keep his feet pointed in the right direction. We know that it within our privileges to ask God what our goals and aspirations should be. We know that no matter how difficult the road is, there is something worth the work waiting for us.
That’s the important part about making choices and living our every day lives. Each day adds another page to our story, another brick to our eternal mansion. Nothing we do goes without a consequence. There are specific laws of cause and effect that govern this life. No matter how we labor it is leading to some outcome.
All our labors are for the purpose of becoming something. What? Hopefully it’s exactly what God wants us to become. For some this process takes longer than for others, we can’t understand anyone’s journey but our own. But the real question is what do we want to become? Have we approached Heavenly Father with this question? Have we looked at our lives and willingly placed our hand in His? Then, have we become distracted and pulled away from the one person who knew the road we were to take.
Every day with every choice we are becoming something. Is it more like the Savior and more true to our own divine nature, or not?
