A Purpose to Life


You know what the worst thing in the world is? Aimlessness. Going nowhere. No real aspirations. No real goals. No real confidence that you are someone with something to contribute.

When I think about myself before I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that’s the exact word that comes to my mind. It sounds a little harsh. But I was a pretty unhappy person. And the sad part is that I had no idea how sad I was because I didn’t know any better. You can’t know what happiness really is until you’ve experienced it.

So, the best thing that happened when I became a Mormon? A goal. A direction. A plan. A place in this glorious thing we call creation. 

I mentioned the “pre-earth life” in my last Mormon-geared post and I’d like to go into a bit more detail because that, essentially, is what this post is about. Here’s the skinny:
All of our spirits existed before this life. We are literal spirit-children of God. We were innocent but also naïve as to the wisdom of God. We could not progress to appreciate and know full joy without passing through mortality. It was at this understanding that God determined to form the earth and place the spirits of men in mortal tabernacles. We were part of this decision. We agreed to it (although naively I think). The ones who did not became followers of Satan and neither Satan nor his followers have ever or will ever receive bodies. It was also during this “council” in heaven in which the Savior stepped forward, willing to redeem man because God knew full well that we would sin and thus be cut off from his presence forever were it not for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (that, however, is another post for another time).  Suffice it to say, the “Plan” was determined by God, Jesus Christ, and us, before we were ever born into mortality. 

So the goal: Progression. We aren’t here to laze about and say, “Wo is me! Jesus saves! Hallelujah!” We are here to work our a$$es off! Excuse my irreverent cliché. It seems to have the desired emphasis I’m looking for. We are here to work like there’s no tomorrow to prepare ourselves to meet God. To gain experience. To understand suffering. To experience that suffering at times so by contrast we can know joy so that we will choose that good part. To learn by doing. Essentially: To become better people today than we were yesterday.
And how do we do that? We master ourselves. Our minds and our bodies. We become the master of mortality because it will mean happiness not only in this life but in the life to come because there is work to be done both here and in the life beyond. 

I loved and still love this concept. If life isn't to actually accomplish something of eternal worth then I'd say its rather spiteful of God to put us through this. If what we do here doesn't even matter eternally, then why the heck are we here suffering through it? I say it does matter. I say it matters very much. God with us is more than God alone. It's Satan who tries to convince us we are nothing and that what we do doesn't really matter to God.

This is the reason I go to church for 3 hours on Sunday, read my scriptures daily, and pray so I don’t forget it. I don’t want to ever become complacent.Complacency is unhappiness to me.

There is an ill-perceived idea in Christianity these days that the next life is all roses and puffy clouds and singing. Oh I’m sure it’s spectacular, beyond description and all that. But there is going to be an awful lot to do what with all these people who cruise through life like it’s all about them. So many of them are going to end up in the spirit prison and there is a great need for the work among those spirits to continue on. Missionary work my friends. Don’t you recall the idea of GODLY SORROW? God doesn’t sit around drinking ambrosia. Watching us fail miserably time after time and trying desperately to get our attention is certainly not my idea of an enjoyable heavenly sport. So we should take note and stop thinking the next life is about us and our eternal enjoyment. Suck it up. Get ready. The Lord needs you. He needs every single one of us. This is what I signed up for and when I was asked “Do you want to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?”
My answer was, “Sign me up! Finally! A reason to live! A purpose!”

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