What is the meaning of life? The pinnacle of existential questions. Philosophers and religions have all attempted to define it over the millennia. For many Christians, it is to profess their belief in Christ. For Christians, Muslims, Jainists, Buddhists, and even for Atheists alike the meaning of life does not focus on the maximization of a hedonistic lifestyle, nor focusing our efforts on personal gain without communal utility. Across all those narratives is a shared one, we are here to learn, serve, and experience.
But yet, we still seem to want more and feel lost to life’s true meaning. Why is it to learn or serve? Why does mortality happen in this format, and what is sufficient experience or service? A child who loses their life early doesn’t experience much of any of those, so what was their meaning?
Many, if not all of us, have had these big questions, but it’s critical to get it right. Not understanding the real meaning behind our existence is like living a life without any purpose, doomed to failure. Just like a new business it is doomed to fail if it doesn’t know it’s objective and target market, unsure where to allocate resources or what problems to solve. We similarly can fail and become frustrated when we don’t know the reason to our existence and the goal we should striving towards.
In this article I will discuss the doctrines revealed to modern-day prophets in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Doctrines which I have found significant meaning and validity. Simply, these teachings outline the meaning of mortal life is to gain a body for our spirits, prove our commitment to Gods commandments, and ultimately have joy.
There’s so much more that can be unpacked from this simple explanation, such as, understanding why the body is critical to our existence, what purpose God has in obfuscating his presence and limiting his influence, and how we are expected to fail to get something right.
The fact is, before the Earth was even created, there was a plan set out and we had a crucial part in it. So in order to understand this mortal life, we need to go back to our pre-mortal life. There was no lack of controversy or resistance when this mortal life experience was first presented to us, and to this day continues to have its principles challenged. So going back to the beginning will help us understand our today.
The Pre-Mortal War
Consider that before this life we came into existence as intelligent spirits, created by a Godly father. We were presented a plan where we would embody a mortal form with free will, bringing with it the ability to fail or succeed by our own choices. Those who choose righteousness through mortality could continue in their progression until reaching perfection with God. Those who choose otherwise would not be granted such an opportunity and would not return to be with God. However, even for those who choose righteousness, they’d need a savior to redeem them from the errors of their imperfect progression.
Then someone else stood up to present an alternate plan, one where we’d still get to experience mortality, but instead all could be redeemed. This seemed like a good deal, but the catch was that no one would be given agency, we’d remain relatively stagnant to the prior state we already found ourselves. According to God, that was not a viable option,
“[He] came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor…Wherefore, Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:1,3)
Satan’s plan must have been alluring, he would have us all saved, all the perks but none of the cost, a free ticket to salvation. Why couldn’t we choose that plan? The hidden cost which God reveals, is taking away everyone’s freedom to choose, the ability to progress through the use of choice, and ultimately deciding our own spiritual destination. More importantly, it would rob us of the innate qualities of being an offspring from a God and the opportunity to become like our spiritual Father, continuously learning till we have reached perfection.
We must have known that God’s plan was right, but necessarily easy. Some would choose to do evil to others and inflict all kinds of pain, some of us would not heed God’s call and reject him, loosing what kingdoms we thought could have been ours. For many, agency was not something to be desired or felt that if they were given such an opportunity they would certainly fail. In the end a third of all of God’s offspring, humanities spiritual brothers and sisters, openly rebelled against God’s plan and had to be cast out, “…the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency” (D&C 29:36).
But this wasn’t some joyous victory, as these brothers and sisters were cast out “the heavens wept” (D&C 76:26). It was a harrowing realization that not all will choose freedom, righteousness, or even happiness. Also, the remaining two-thirds were not equally valiant during this battle of principles, there was varying degrees of devotion to Christ and the Father among them, as noted by the “many of the noble and great ones” (Abraham 3:22–23) who were chosen to be rulers in the kingdom.
Learning about this pre-mortal war we come to an understanding of three critical things: (1) nothing was forced on us, we were always given a choice, (2) compromising our agency should not be an option, even if it would ensure more equitable outcomes, and (3) even in ideal circumstances not all will be valiant or choose the right.
We’ve learned from scripture and revelation that what we experience in mortality was not without controversy, and was not gained without sacrifice. Our intention to be here was the first test even before our mortal experience, now we progressed to the second stage where our resolve to choose good is put into practice without heavenly parental oversight.
Also, just as we were approached by Satan and his followers to follow his plan before our life, we continue to be influenced by his teachings. He attempts us to disparage our mortal experience that he and his followers were denied. We must recognize that inclinations to abuse our body, undervalue the life of others, or exercise greater control over people’s agency are all influences from Satan and his followers. They tempt us to waste our mortal experience and disbelieve in a God when presented with the messiness of humanity’s choices. These are the tactics by our errant spiritual brothers and sisters who look at us in great envy, never to experience the joys and pains of mortality.
The Gift of Agency
Agency is still a principle we struggle to understand and fully master. We may choose to amplify or diminish our own, or try to balance as a society how much freedom restrict to ensure better outcomes. Though painful, God was willing to let a great host of his children be lost in order to hold to the principle of personal agency. Because of the freedom individual agency provides, we will likely not reach some state of perfect governance or a perfect people. We will always have to deal with the inefficiencies and messiness personal agency brings.
But why would God be so committed to giving us so much agency, even if the outcome would result in loosing many of his children in the process and even the rest experiencing some sort of mortal affliction at the hands of others? Also, to reduce that affliction or bring more souls back to him, why doesn’t he exercise more influence or provide greater direction for every move in our life? What truly proves our desires and intention is not what we do in public view or under the scrutiny of a God, but hidden from the eyes of others and in darkness. We don’t think a politician who’s polished and articulate in public view but chooses to mistreat others in private to be a good person and neither does God.
In order for us to become like him we need have the full freedom to learn from our own experience, to experience the consequences of our choices and tern the right choice to make. Quite the opposite as we would think, he doesn’t shield us from alternate ideas, but in fact ensures both good and evil options are available to us. Even his wayward children who were cast out were still permitted to tempt and persuade us in this life,
“Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16).
He does this to give us the opportunity to learn, to become like him, to influence like him, to teach like him, and to lead like him. Of course, we’ll do it imperfectly, letting outside influences or our selfish desires in, but this whole experience of mortality is based on us gaining that experience, working through the struggle that is our humanity, and recognizing that we do become better through trying to make good decisions and preserving through the consequences of other’s bad decisions as well.
As God’s children, we have the greatest agency any living creation could be given. Consider agency is something that can be quantified and increased across the dimensions of intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual agency. For example, a dog has exponentially more agency to do as he wishes and act on his world than a single bacteria cell. Similarly, a human being has exponentially more agency than the most intelligent animal.
We also as groups of human beings create new opportunities for choice through societal, instrumental, organizational, economic, and financial means. Most humans have the agency to jump into a vehicle and move themselves to locations hundreds of miles away from them. This level of agency was achieved by applying intellectual and physical agency to drive a car, the acquisition of an instrument, a car, through financial means, and driven on a safe and rule defined road created through organizational governance. We see a beautiful process unfold as people use their agency wisely to innovate and collaborate we improve the lives around us and increase our breadth of choices, in effect further increasing our agency.
Consider the parable of the talents. Each one had dramatically different sums of capital at their disposal, on other words, financial agency. The master judged them fairly based on the amount of financial agency each of them had. That is the same for us, to us who have been given more agency, they more is expected of us. A king or president is given agency to govern over decisions which impact many lives, the more is expected of them.
Based on the parable and what God has destined for us, we should also seek to expand our agency and the agency of others in each dimension. Instead of trying to fix people’s choices or the outcome that choice, we should create freedom and opportunities for people to properly exercise their agency. That doesn’t mean commandments, laws, and rules are not relevant. Agency coupled with choice in accordance to set laws and commandments are what creates freedom.
Consider the freedom a well regulated road infrastructure creates for people. Following the rules of the road keep drivers safe and confident they can reach their destination. Also, the road is created to provide decision infrastructure, not to fix the destination. The road can be used to take someone to a church house or loved one’s home, or places of lust and crime. Instead of trying to force people to make the right decisions, we should be in the business of building roads and setting up sign points that guide them to better destinations.
We often forget that it is Gods intention, and our intention, when we accepted this plan that moral choices would be laid before us with sometimes known but often no immediate consequence. If we choose to follow Satan, we shouldn’t be immediately consumed by fire, or if we follow God are elevated to heaven. The good or bad decisions often are only given an immediate and often fleeting feeling of assurance or regret. The consequences from those choices would come over time and be more subtle. It is Gods intention to never put too much obstacle in to our path of choice, especially moral choice.
In our objective to become more like God, we should acknowledge that as a God he has the greatest level of agency a being can attain. He is omnipotent and omniscient, however, in order for him or us to achieve such a status, we have to be most exact to moral and spiritual laws. The proper use of agency only further amplifies it, just the improper use only further diminishes our future choices.
This is why parenthood can be such a good learning ground to understand agency and how best to wield it. Parents may struggle with finding this balance of how much to protect their children’s choices from spiritual or moral harm. If we are to follow our heavenly parent, we should help our children understand the benefits and consequences of each choice and enable them to wisely apply their own agency. The best parenting methods often help children see consistent consequences to good or bad choices made when they are young, so that older in life they can infer better the natural consequences to their choices that might not always be immediate or apparent. We’ll of course rejoice in our children which choose well, but if we did our part as good teachers, we shouldn’t feel personal guilt of the wayward child who chooses otherwise. Many good parents, such as prophets of scripture, and even God himself have children who choose other paths.
As excellent agency is in helping us grow and learn, it leaves a serious gap in our eternal progression. Each eternal law or commandment broken must have a punishment affixed and leaves us unclean to re-enter into Gods presence or even to eternally progress and eventually become perfect. That is why, even in the beginning, when the plan was given to provide us agency, a savior was presented as well who can provide us mercy through repentance.
“But there is a law given, and a punishment [or consequence] affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God…But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement” (Alma 42:15, 22–23).
God simply cannot just excuse our errant behavior, he must follow eternal laws which enable him to be God. We are also expected to follow these laws and in the cases where we do not, repent of that action and rely on the mercy given from Christ’s atonement to atone for the enteral consequence of that choice. Because of a savior and atonement we are liberated to fully apply our agency to gain knowledge of good and evil. We should not isolate ourselves from decisions in fear of choosing evil when we thought it was good, but have the relief that we can always course correct and learn how to follow a more narrow path to righteousness.
To Gain A Body
In order to amplify our agency, our spirits are given a body. The body serves as a vehicle for our spirit to act on the world around it. The body gives our spirit access to additional senses and experiences we can’t have solely as a personage of spirit. The body gives us the ability to act and manipulate the physical world around us. Revelation given through Joseph Smith reveals that the body is essential for our spirit to fully experience happiness.
“spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy. And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.” (D&C 93:33–34.).
Our spirits do feel quite the sensation when being united with a body. Consider the thrill an infant feels when experiencing it’s body for the first time; exuberantly moving their arms and legs, clutching their feet and hands, feeling a sense of wonder with each new object, spending time to touch, feel, and even kiss.
The body is our first stage of stewardship, before receiving stewardship over a spouse, family, or communities in our life’s progression we are given an opportunity first to be a good steward over our own bodies. The body gives us new experiences for our spirit to learn, such as sight, smell and touch, physical pain and discomfort, limits in movement, and new desires and appetites which come from the body. The spirit helps temper the body’s appetites and glorifies it when choosing to be disciplined in living a healthy lifestyle. In order for our spirits to experience the greatness of our body, it must be protected and maintained. Modern day revelation gives us further guidance on how to properly protect and treat our sacred gift of a body. “The Word of Wisdom is but one of many ways the Doctrine and Covenants establishes the intimate link between body and spirit. Commending tasting and smelling (D&C 59:19), singing and dancing (D&C 136:28; D&C 25:12), loving and grieving (D&C 42:45; D&C 130:2), the Doctrine and Covenants is truly a book for our entire being. It reveals a God who cares for the wholeness of our souls—body and spirit—and intends to redeem them so that his children may receive a fulness of joy (D&C 88:15–16)” (The Body as a Blessing by John S. Tanner).
We should rejoice and cherish the blessing of having a body. The body is a sacred gift and should be treated responsibly and with care. As we already know from industries on health and fitness, as we restrain unhealthy habits and diets, we are rewarded with greater stamina, strength, and clarity. As we take better care of our body, it gives us greater opportunity to live meaningfully. As one general authority noted in his experience when properly caring for his body, “We know the subtle but real connection between the physical and the spiritual. Fortunately, our spirits are affected not just negatively but positively by what we do to our bodies. I know a young boy, for example, who was overweight, depressed, and failing school. He started exercising, joined the swim team, and began working out regularly. His grades went up, his confidence increased, and his spirits soared. (The Body as a Blessing)”
Furthermore, our body is not just some teaching vessel that we dispose of once dead. It is to remain as our eternal companion and together to achieve exaltation and all the blessings God has for us. That is the ascension we receive when we are permanently reunited with an undying body in the resurrection. It also appears that our body is critical for the final judgement of our mortal probation. Our works were done where both body and spirit were present, so also both must appear in the court of the final judgement. At the time of the resurrection, we will “be judged according to [our] works. … We shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt” (Alma 11:41, 43).
Christ made it clear that the body is critical to our eternal progress. We cannot achieve eternal life without a resurrected body. The pinnacle of Jesus Christ’s assent to Godhood was achieved when he was reunited with his eternal body, never again to be separated. It wasn’t until after his resurrection that his command to be perfect, not only accompanied the father (Matthew 5:48) but him as well, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. (3 Nephi 12:48)
It is no wonder that those who have passed greatly miss their bodies, “the dead [look] upon the … absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage” (D&C 138:50; see also D&C 45:17). The punishment of the devil and his followers for their rebellion was to never obtain a body. They look to our bodies with envy, wanting us to abuse them, misuse them, and even permit them entry so they get the opportunity they so greatly miss. But Joseph Smith taught that our bodies give us power over the bodiless, “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.” Satan can tempt us, but he cannot compel. “The devil has no power over us only as we permit him” (link)
To Be Proven
We are given this body as a vessel for our spirits, demonstrating how will we make use of our mortal abilities. Will we indulge in our passions, will we inflict pain on others, or will we temper our emotions, learn truth, and give of ourselves to others. Elder Christofferson expounded that,
“By our choices we would demonstrate to God (and to ourselves) our commitment and capacity to live His celestial law while outside His presence and in a physical body with all its powers, appetites, and passions. Could we bridle the flesh so that it became the instrument rather than the master of the spirit? Could we be trusted both in time and eternity with godly powers, including power to create life? Would we individually overcome evil? Those who did would ‘have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever’ [Abraham 3:26]” (Why Marriage, Why Family By Elder D. Todd Christofferson)
The second great purpose of this mortal experience after obtaining a body is demonstrating what law we wish to live. The commandments given to us by God are not just to guide our mortal life, but eternal commandments which we are always expected to live by before, during, and after this life, “Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual” (D&C 29:34-35).
So the commandments we have received are not a temporary restriction during our mortal experience, but the roadmap for the destination of our spiritual progression. In the very beginning, when the purpose of the creation of our world was considered God said “we will make an earth whereon these [meaning us] may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:24-25).
This mortal life is the proving grounds for living the eternal commandments we had known and likely lived before, but now show our diligence to keep in the absence of heaven. Fortunately, the proving process of mortality is not a pass/fail, one and done exercise. We are given multiple opportunities to correct and train our bodies and spirits to lend greater discipline and obedience. Each time we fail to follow those commandments, we sin. Christ’s atoning sacrifice was the avenue provided to us so we could ‘try again’ when failing to follow his command. There is no limit to the times we can be forgiven, and the process of obeying and repenting when we fail are both demonstrations of our commitment to live Gods commandments.
Christs atonement was the bridge across the vast divide between us and God, but we are the ones who have to choose to head towards the bridge and ultimately cross it. We may erroneously assume that God in vast love will forgive a life of follies at the end of our mortal journey, granting to us the highest of his glory. God is loving and he does forgive liberally, but he cannot change our natural dispositions. It is in the day to day where we determine our eternal direction. We prove by a lifetime of choices which laws we wish to obey, and which place we want to take in heaven. It is not to say that a person cannot repent and change course later in his life, of course he can, but his resolve to stay on the repentant path is what must persist.
We know we cannot be perfect in one day, therefore we cannot expect to be perfected by God in one day either. We must spend our mortal life making many incremental adjustments to our nature and slowing increasing in knowledge and virtue, “Thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more” (2 Nephi 28). The process of perfection takes many little steps over time, and no one is exempt from this process, for even Christ himself “received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace” (D&C 93:12).
Our veracity to develop our mind, body, and soul is what qualifies for God’s work. Just as an athletes efforts and skill determines which team he is qualified and capable of playing. For example, most athletes would love to be playing professional leagues, but only a very select few have the skill and dedication to make it to the elite level. Even if an inspiring but not qualified football player was able to fast track his way in to the NFL, he would find the experience overwhelming, frustrating, and embarrassing when his skills are not met for the job.
When it comes to the eternities it isn’t that God is trying to discover elite spiritual athletes and filter out the rest. It’s more that the people in his presence are those who give their whole hearts to God and are willing to push beyond sin and temptation to become the person God intends for us to be. They are essentially the ones who want to be there and live the life which is expected of them. After this life, we’ll still have to be motivated, obedient, and diligent. God knows all things from beginning to end, so he doesn’t need to know where best to place us in his kingdom. We are gaining experience for our own good and providing, to our own selves, what laws we wish to obey and life we want to live hereafter.
It is for this reason that Christ said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). We are already proving ourselves for the kingdoms of heaven of our desire. There could be a kingdom for those who do good only when there are good influences, a kingdom for those who just make sure to follow civil laws, a kingdom for those who have no respect for life or law, and lastly, a kingdom for those who truly desire to follow all of Gods commandments and wish to live the life he intends for them. We will find in the end that it will not be so much God’s judgement, but our own disposition to live the laws of the kingdom we belong.
“And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same. And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions. All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified. For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light” (D&C 88:40).
We cannot wait until the end of our lives to seek goodness, we must do it each day, incrementally growing our capacity to receive more of Gods guidance and wisdom. Apostle David Bednar said “our efforts to prepare for the proving experiences of mortality should follow the example of the Savior, who incrementally “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man”7—a blended balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social readiness” (link).
We understood the value of this proving process and chose to experience this mortality away from the presence of God, isolated to our own thoughts, vulnerable to the actions of others, subjected to the temptations of the devil. As ironic as it might seam, the falling away of the devil and his followers because of agency, is exactly the opposition we needed to fully prove our agency in this mortal experience, “And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet” (D&C 29:39). Yes, even the evil we face, or the evil we commit, is part of our experience to truly prize the good.
By divine design the shroud of forgetfulness that passed through our spirit when first entering mortally remains a constant presence. No matter how noble our efforts, how spiritual the experience, how stirring the sermon, it all seams to quickly fade in our temporal minds and we are back to applying God’s message without a stirring soul. If only every day we felt riveted by the spirit, full of courage and faith, but we don’t. We get bursts of glory followed by darkness. But that is exactly the experience we’re supposed to have. The opposition and lack of glorious environment in this life is just the proving grounds we asked to go through. We choose all this because we wanted to know our true place in heaven.
To Find Joy
It would seem from wars in heaven, pains of the flesh, and loosing eternal rewards from failing to follow Gods commandments that his plan has doomed us to misery. But it’s quite the opposite. God provided this type of mortal experience precisely so we could experience the greatest of happiness, joy. It is our great adversary and his followers who will be eternally miserable and attempts to make us miserable in return. The adversary takes advantage of the fact that joy is not a constant and is not for free. It must also be chosen, sought for, and achieved when aligning to eternal laws.
“Adam & Eve fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy ” (2 Nephi 2: 25).
No matter how difficult life might get, our destiny is to have joy as God’s children. However, we ‘might have joy’ only through proper use of our body and following Gods commandments. Restraint is what liberates us to reach the destination of happiness. Just like the feeling of achievement at the end of race, the wonder when reaching the peak of a mountain, or the joy at the birth of child. Joy isn’t a constant, is often preceded with great effort, discomfort, discouragement, and even pain. Joy from life experiences can be felt frequently but it requires focus, effort, and attention.
So we must consider that joy is an outcome of our agency. Exercising our agency can result in our feeling of misery or joy. This may come from as a result of an action, such as saying hurtful things to a loved one or spending time with a friend, or from a state of mind, such as choosing to focus on faults or blessings. Our state of mind most often determines our emotional disposition, in turn effecting our decisions. We find that the person who chooses to be grateful for many things, we’ll likely be slower to anger and find new opportunities during life’s adversities. This person will likely multiply their opportunities to have joy by proper using their agency in thought and deed.
We also erroneously consider that this mortal experience is completely ‘other’ of what our experience in heaven will be like. Such that the true abode of joy is only in heaven while we suffer a hell on Earth. No so, for even in heaven there is sorrow, as seen by the heavens which wept over the souls who chose not God’s plan. Yes, heaven is not aloof of our follies, for even in God’s abode the choices we make bring joy or sorrow to generations past. Our experience with our body and the relationships we create one with another are meaningful because they parallel what is to come after this life. Joseph Smith stated, “That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C:130:2). When we properly seek for joy and choose to create it in return, we create a bit of heaven on Earth.
“What if in our anxious hope of heaven, we find we have blindly passed it by? A child’s embrace, a companion’s caress, a friend’s laughter are its materials. Our capacity to mourn another’s pain, like God’s tears for His children; our desire to lift our neighbor from his destitution. This is the elemental stuff of Heaven.” (God Who Weeps – Terrill Givens)
The joy we so desire in heaven is quite possibly already here for the taking. We are not to pass through mortality solely in misery, but feel the joy of body and spirit participating in God’s plan. Through the redeeming power of Christ’s atonement, we don’t need continue suffering from our poor choices, but repent and progress. Joy comes from obeying and believing in Jesus Christ, “even during difficult and uncertain times, we can feel joy from understanding the significance of the Savior’s Atonement” (link).
We read in the scriptures that on those societies which choose to live God’s commandments are able to experience real happiness. As recorded in the Book of Mormon, those who had been witness to the resurrected Christ conformed their life to his teachings. Though not overnight, but over the course of 50+ years they had created a Zion society, “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people…surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God” (4 Nephi 1:15-16). Similarly, the people who followed Enoch in his day were called “Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18). The joy and happiness these societies achieved was not by perfect obedience to those laws, but from becoming ‘pure of heart’ and choosing not to do evil, but good continually.
Take a moment to realize what an absolutely generous father God is and how glorious his plan is for us. It is a simple as turning our minds eye around to behold a vast and gorgeous vista that’s always been there. Take in this divine view, we are children of a benevolent and loving God, who feels our pains and wants to magnify our joys. Who’s done everything possible to give us the opportunity to have joy and be with him, if only we want it in return. We are redeemed that no matter the mistakes we make in our life probation, we can repent from them, we can be redeemed, we can progress eternally to become like our Father! To become like God!
What greater purpose, what greater gift can we ever ask for? What greater reason to have joy than this? Any setback, suffering, or mistake is dwarfed by this glorious purpose and truth. The more open our spiritual eyes are to this the more joy we will have in participating in Gods plan of happiness. I can testify that when you have viewed this vista it does spring up a well of joy and gratitude. But even greater than solitary joy is when we help another of God’s children join us to view the same vista and rejoice together.
Too Great of Wickedness
Some may conclude that God’s plan must be a failure if only a few people truly understand it or choose to follow it. Though disappointing when a soul chooses evil over good, it does not mean that the good did not exist or even has been conquered. As we’ve learned, God’s plan is to give us the opportunity to choose of the two, not necessarily to create a complete void of any evil so that good could only be the apparent choice. That was the state of the Garden of Eden and to progress in our journey and bring man to pass, Adam and Eve needed to take the forbidden fruit and be cast out of the Garden to bring about the dichotomy of choice, for both good and evil.
Though, can wickedness be too abundant, leaving little knowledge or option for God’s children to choose the good? That was such the case during the time of Noah which God considered it necessary to flood the Earth. This might not always be a common occurrence in God’s plan and it’s possible we are the bad apple in the mix of this plan. God has created worlds without number and inhabitants therein (Moses 1:33) and we can assume with the same plan as that we have on this world. He said to Enoch about the wickedness of the people during Noah’s time that “among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren” (Moses 7:36). If God is referring to ALL his creations, he is referring to all the numberless inhabited worlds which didn’t pale in wickedness to that of the people of Earth at that time. It would only make sense that in order for God’s spirits to have some chance at learning good from evil he needed to do a reset for the people of Earth.
We might think that only Noah’s time was once of dire wickedness, but modern day prophets have indicated that we have already exceeded the wickedness of Noah’s people. Spencer W. Kimball stated “Evil seems about to engulf us like a great wave, and we feel that truly we are living in conditions similar to those in the days of Noah before the Flood” and President Gordon B. Hinkley said “I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah … We see similar conditions today.” We likely don’t know any different, but it’s quite possible that in many of the inhabited worlds around this universe people do live in much greater harmony, learning, teaching, and living of the principles of God’s plan. They know this mortal life is a time of probation for their agency and strive to be better. But on our Earth we have let Satan diverge us from this practice, it’s hard to know the good from the evil, to strive to live righteously, or to find people who live by the same principles. As often as we portray diabolical aliens ruthlessly overtaking Earth, it’s quite possible we are more likely the morally diabolical which should be avoided and isolated in this universe.
It makes us consider the privilege and tragedy of Christ’s time on this Earth. Possibly we were one of God’s creations that so desperately needed the example of God himself to be among us, remind us the way, and ultimately pay the price for our sins. And what a tragedy that wickedness was so prevalent that men could not see the holy man and would rather put to death their own God than disrupt their way of life. Yet, before we start to lament our degenerate state, we should recognize that even a perfect world free of sin and tribulation doesn’t always create ideal conditions for personal growth. Adversity, trial, resistance, these all can refine our resolve, build character, and spiritual resilience.
If we experience no opposition, how can we truly grow? Eve was supposed to take of forbidden fruit so the human family can know the good from the evil. In fact, the scriptures said that God cursed the land for man’s sake (Gen 3:17). So quite possibly, instead of seeing a world with great wickedness as discouraging, consider that it raises the stakes where the truly righteous can rise above to become their best selves. Indeed, many great and noble people have risen against the wickedness, including the greatest of all, Jesus the Christ. It could be that even though we have the worst wickedness, we inversely have the greatest righteousness.
“We cannot dry up the mounting river of evil influences, for they result from the exercise of moral agency divinely granted by our Father. But we can and must, with clarity, warn of the consequences of getting close to its enticing, destructive current.” (How to Live well Amid Increasing Evil – Elder Richard G. Scott)
We will easily find most people on this Earth who have lived on it do not know the intimate details of God’s plan or his commandments as laid out here, but mankind’s history shows, regardless of doctrinal nuances, there have always been inspired men to guide people to choose and cherish the good over evil. Though the devil may try to cloud full knowledge of God’s eternal plan for us, we are still accountable for the knowledge we already have and the guidance of our own conscience.
Real Meeting in Life
The universe and our lives are not some demonstration for God to prove himself, he already did that in order to become God. When we might be inclined to cast doubt on God’s omnipotence or care for our suffering, we error to forget that we are the one’s who willingly and eagerly choose to gain this mortal experience veiled from God’s intervention or constant gaze. We wanted to prove what our intentions would be with only instruction and sometimes intuition of what is good or evil. We wanted to have ourselves be influenced by the experience of our own decisions and the decisions of others in helping us choose for ourselves our path in life.
But are we supposed to go through this whole process just to determine who is eligible for heaven and hell? If that were true, the creation of universe would be quite a waste as God could simply sort us out himself knowing all things from the beginning to the end. Fortunately, this is not the case and this is not some great filter just to prove to us where is our place in heaven. This universe and our lives is the great institution for the development of divine beings, the offspring of God to be given the tools to someday become like their spiritual father.
“The first principles of man are self-existent with God. God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843-44, p.354)”
Each small step, knowledge gained, virtue practiced, we slowly make our way up the infinite staircase to perfection, made possible through a Savior. However, progress to godhood is not measured by merits or the impact of good deeds, it is measured by moral character. A Nobel prize laureate and a simple farmer can both receive the same exaltation, not by the worldly measures for personal excellence, but because of the quality of their character. Just as in the parable of the talents, he who was given less, but still multiplied that allowance was a good servant in the masters eyes. The progress and multiplicity we should pursue is that of refining and molding our character to be that of a good righteous saint.
Even with the guidance from prophets, the scriptures, and even our intuition on what makes the most meaning in life, we seem to constantly be clouded with distractions that make this mortal experience a true test of character. How often do we find ourselves slaving over the pursuit of wealth and status, even knowing that neither will continue with us in the afterlife. Inversely, some of us may seek for even greater ease, comfort, or enjoyment, ultimately leaving us more lonely in selfish pursuits. Even some positive pursuits, such as having a healthy lifestyle, settling down with a family, or reaching personal goals, can fall short of the real meaning of life. The ‘American Dream’ is still not our spirit’s true destiny.
No matter how much we loose sight or try to change its meaning, this mortal life will always be the plan we choose to have. We rejoiced to be given agency and power to learn for ourselves good from evil. We would be granted a physical body, giving our spirits the capability to sense and act on the physical world. Then, under a veil of forgetfulness and absence of spiritual parental influence, we demonstrate the spiritual law we wish to live. Ultimately, with the proper use of the body and obeying of spiritual laws, we are to experience the greatest treasure of all, the love of God and true happiness. So after it all, the real meaning of life is joy, the joy which comes when body and spirit align in harmony to their eternal purpose.
