Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Here's a warm-fuzzy story for you: Last night, I was looking for several important pieces of documentation for my new job. (You know, human resources doesn't want to hire someone who doesn't actually have the credentials they claimed on their resume.) Normally, I'm a fairly organized person who knows exactly where everything is—all things color coded and filed alphabetically. (Ok, maybe not that organized, but it paints a picture of how I see myself on the inside.) However, after having moved recently, I'm still a little discombobulated as to where I put everything—having saved my “office” area for last in the realm of getting settled.

So, there I was, in a storm of papers and files trying to find the few transcripts and certificates I needed. I hate this sort of thing, jumping through hoops. It's necessary—I get that—but it isn't the most fun I can imagine having. Amidst my shuffling of pages, my 4 year old nephew had edged his way into my room and had comfortably plopped himself onto my bed—covers and all. He was watching some cartoon on his tablet. Netflix is his favorite.

Anyway, I was in my grown-up “let's check off some boxes on my ever-growing to-do list” mode when—out of the blue—my nephew said, “Auntie 'icole, me just love you so much.” It was really quiet, and his eyes never even left the screen. He didn't try to get my attention first, and—had I been less aware of my surroundings—I probably wouldn't have heard it at all.

Don't know where I was going with that, exactly, but I think it's a good story for me to remember. I think the moral is this: Life is full of important choices—how we choose to use our time is critical. If we get too busy, or if we become distracted, we may miss out on the important little things. Little things like a nephew telling his aunt that he loves her.

That's been on my mind a lot lately, especially as I've moved on to another phase in life, this idea of balancing my life in all its needs, wants, and demands. I certainly don't profess to have everything worked out, but I have come to one conclusion: It's all about priorities.

It's kind of like this: When I played softball a looooong time ago, my dad—also the coach—always gave us the same first lesson at the beginning of the season. “Keep your eye on the ball.” (Also promptly followed by, “Don't throw the bat after you hit the ball.”) It was a useful lesson in softball, and I think it's a useful lesson in a discussion of priorities. It's awfully hard to hit a softball if you don't keep your eye on it. It's, likewise, awfully hard to achieve a goal—whether its doing something or becoming something—if you don't keep your eye on whatever it is you're trying to do or become.

And it's not just about staying away from the bad—you know, drugs, alcohol, pornography those sorts of things. If those were my priorities, I wouldn't have much to show in way of positive life consequences.

Personally, I think the hard thing about this prioritizing thing is that there are so many good things with which I can distract myself. (The aforementioned Netflix, for example.) I find that when I take all things in stride—whether it's developing a talent, writing a book, or treating myself to a movie—I am much happier when I don't let these things consume me and occupy time that would be better spent doing something better. (Except for writing the book—I could do that all day. PS- I have 173 pages done on my novel!)

Guess I should probably wrap this up—I need to go finish making dinner. (Greek style roast, Mediterranean style rice, pita chips, and a salad with tzatziki sauce—in case you need ideas for what to make for dinner tonight.) So, here's my religious soap-box for the day:

Don't get distracted from what is most important. For me, that is in following all the commandments of God, especially the seemingly strict “Mormon” commandments like no rated R movies, no coffee, and dress modestly. Then, there are the big ones—keep the Sabbath Day holy, pray, love and serve others. These are the priorities of highest significance. These are those things on which I should be continually focused if I expect to achieve my full potential as a daughter of God.

Just because the world seems to be slowly forgetting how crucial these priorities are to one's happiness doesn't mean that the priorities have changed. Love God and keep His commandments--nothing more important than that. That, to me, is where true and lasting happiness lies. Because, at the end of the day, it isn't a sporting event, a new outfit, or that one awesome Korean drama on Netflix (curse you, Netflix... I love you) that will make my life whole. Yes, they can make me happy momentarily. However, I can attest to the fact that living Christian principles brings an increased measure of contentment and understanding all of the time, even when circumstances are tough. Isn't that lasting kind of happiness the sort of priority we should all be seeking?

Ok, seriously, I need to go finish dinner.

But, friends, do something for me. Decide what your priorities are. If you're not religious—make sure that your priorities align with whatever it is you do believe—and don't get distracted. If you are religious—make sure your priorities align with the counsels given you from God and his prophets, both ancient and modern—and don't get distracted.

Keep your eye on the ball.

Or you might just strike out on some of the smaller, yet eternally more significant, things.

Love Wins

Before we get started, let me make something very clear.  This is not a post about marriage.  Or marriage equality.  Or tolerance.  Or belittling others because their opinions are different than mine regarding those issues.

Also, you'll probably want to set aside at least ten minutes or so to get through the post.  It's a bit heftier than normal.

Sorry, I'm not sorry.

Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have known about the Supreme Court ruling regarding marriage if it weren't for my friends posting about it on Facebook.  I must say, though, that I am terribly proud of my friends.  I have a fair number of friends on both sides of the fence on this one, and--I've got to commend them for their civility online and in person.  With only a couple of exceptions, I've yet to see any of my friends communicate their stances insensitively, nor have I seen them insult others for believing differently.  It makes me grateful to associate with individuals who demonstrate what respect and love truly are.

But that's not what this post is about either.

Here's what this post is really about:

It's about the Mormon concept of the purpose of life and life after death.  And how love is central through all of it.  Without love, it is not only meaningless but impossible.

Here's why I've been thinking about it:

My family has been shaken up recently by the death of an eight-year-old girl in Colorado.  Her name is Maddy, and she went to school with my niece.  Maddy's story can be found at #MaddytheMight or at #MaddysMightyMinions, and I highly encourage everyone to spend a minute or twenty reviewing Maddy's story and the positive impact she has had and continues to have on others.

As I've shared the story of Maddy with others not of my faith, I recognize that there's a bit of a disconnect when I talk about the subjects of life and death.  And it's not their fault.  I suppose few people not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would recognize how different the doctrine is from a typical Christian denomination.  Not going to lie, it's probably weird.  (But not any more weird than other doctrines taught in religious settings.  Let's face it, religion--in general--is weird.)

But weird isn't necessarily bad.  I write this for two audiences.

I write this for those who have no intention of converting to Mormonism but who enjoy learning new things.  Anthropologically speaking, it's incredible how learning of the beliefs and customs of others can help one to learn of themselves.

And, I write this to reach out to those who might be seeking answers as to who they are, the purpose of life, and what happens after death.  Hopefully, this audience would read with the understanding that faith begins as a desire and a feeling--not irrefutable facts with mountains of evidence.  Double hopefully, this audience will find what they're looking for.

So, now that my introduction has officially scared off two-thirds of anyone who might stumble onto this post, here it is.  Life--and how love is integral--according to a Mormon girl:

Premortal Life

We believe that God is a loving and eternal Heavenly Father.  In a very literal sense.  We believe that we are His spirit children who were raised at His side in a premortal life.  We also believe in a Heavenly Mother.  We lived together as a family in that place, forming relationships and developing talents.  I guess the point is, we belonged to another place before we belonged here on Earth.  Ultimately, we were created to become like our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, reaching eternal potential by gaining bodies and living eternally--always bound to others through love and the Priesthood (or the power of God).

In order to become like our Heavenly Parents, we had to agree to come to Earth.  To be born and get a body.  And to experience.  And to learn.  And to demonstrate faith.  And to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and--something we couldn't do before--physically.  However, we would have to do this without the remembrance of who we were before.  In passing to our lives on Earth, we willingly surrendered our memories in order to learn to live through faith.  After all, it wouldn't be a test if we remembered everything.

The Fall of Adam

So what about Adam and Eve?  I don't feel like getting into the subject too much in this post, but I will say this:  It was supposed to happen.  God didn't set us up to fail, and Eve didn't curse humankind.  In fact, Eve is revered as an incredibly wise prophetess in Mormon doctrine.  She understood the need to introduce opposition into the world.

With the Fall, though, two situations were created which would forever separate us from returning to our Heavenly Parents.  The first, spiritual death (or sin) would make us unfit to reach our full potential.  The second, physical death, would also keep us from entering the Celestial Kingdom.  (A term to be defined later.  I promise.)

Life on Earth

So, here we are.  We're born.  Everyone placed in a situation unique to them, yet placed there by a loving Heavenly Father who knew exactly where to place us that we might be the most successful.  Because He wants to save all of us.  Not just a select few.  Not just the religious.  Everyone.

But, why are we here?  We are here to do good.  To love God.  To love others.  For those who have families, it is to lovingly rear children to become their very best selves.  The Book of Mormon describes this life as a time to prepare to meet God.  What we choose to make of ourselves is up to us.  Regardless, we will have to account for what we have done (or have not done) with our time, however long it was.  We all experience unique hardships along the way--some more harsh than others--but it is all part of the plan to be tried and tested as we seek our way back to our Heavenly Parents.

But what about overcoming spiritual and physical death?  That's where the Savior comes in.  As our older brother in the Premortal Life, Jesus Christ agreed to take on Him our sins.  He agreed to die, but--more importantly--He agreed to take up the grave, to live again.  Not quite sure how the logistics work, but I believe that because Christ loves us--all of us--that all we receive the gift of resurrection.  (To be discussed later.)  So, basically, when it comes to physical death--love wins.

The other gift given through Christ's Atonement is the gift of Repentance.  This gift, however, is not a freebie.  We actually have to do something to redeem this one.  Put simply, we have to own up to our mistakes and do our best to make them right.  We also have to be baptized by one holding the proper Priesthood authority, partake of the Sacrament (or communion), and make covenants/promises to uphold God's commandments in temples.  Without taking these steps, one cannot reach their full eternal potential.  That's why Mormons are so crazy about missionary work.

Death and The Spirit World

This is my favorite part.  Not so much death.  Death is sad.  But the Spirit World is amazing.  It's not a typical Heaven-Hell place.  We call it Spirit Prison and Spirit Paradise.  Spirit Paradise is for those who went through all the proper steps to be "saved."  Spirit Prison is for everyone else.  BUT IT DOESN'T END THERE.  Those who would have accepted the Gospel, but never had the chance to even hear it during their lives, are saved.  Children and babies who pass away before an age of accountability--meaning they were too young to discern the truth for themselves--are automatically saved.  Everyone is given the chance, or given multiple chances, to accept the Gospel.  Or reject it.

I like to think of the Spirit World as a giant equalizer.  It's a place where privilege means nothing, because all are loved equally by our Heavenly Parents.

This is also a place for service.  While our bodies might be dead and buried, our spirits live on.  Some are even given special duties and responsibilities to further the purposes of our Heavenly Parents.  It is a time to continue spreading love.

It is here that we wait for Resurrection and Judgment.

Resurrection

So, how do we overcome physical death?  We get to be resurrected.  Our spirits will reunite with our bodies.  (Not sure if this means that we'll crawl out of our graves like zombies or not.  PS--Sorry if you were cremated.  PSS-- I like to think God has a better way to do this worked out.)  Anyway, our bodies after the Resurrection will be immortal.  Free from sickness.  Free from any imperfections or setbacks.  The scriptures mention that "not a hair on [our] heads will be lost."  Not sure what that will look like, exactly, but I think it sounds amazing.

And, remember, this gift is free.  Compliments of the Savior.

Love wins.

Judgment

After having been resurrected, all will stand before our Heavenly Father to be judged according to our faith and according to our works.  The cool thing is, Jesus Christ will be our advocate--or lawyer--to present our case before God.

In the end, our Heavenly Father assigns us where we will live for the rest of eternity.  He'll make sure to place us where we'll be the happiest, because He loves us.

The Kingdoms of Glory

Ok.  Now, Satan will go to a place called Outer Darkness.  Pretty much, he and a very, very select few will be miserable for the rest of eternity.  I'm not sure what Outer Darkness is like, and I don't intend to find out.

The Telestial Kingdom will be the final destination for those who love worldly things.  In a nutshell, this is the place for those who never overcame their carnal appetites, whatever those appetites might be.  However, this is still a place described as being exponentially more beautiful than the Earth on which we now live.

The Terrestrial Kingdom is a step above that.  This place is for "good" people, but those who did not fulfill the responsibilities of overcoming spiritual death.  Maybe they weren't baptized.  Maybe they didn't make covenants in the temple.  Or maybe they did, but they didn't live up to the responsibilities which come with those ordinances.  Still, it is a place for this type of person to thrive and be happy.

Finally, the Celestial Kingdom is where we should strive to be.  It is where we can return to our Heavenly Parents.  This is where Jesus Christ will reside.  This is also the only of the Kingdoms of Glory where we will be allowed to continue in our marriages--so long as we were sealed to our spouse in the temple.  Family relationships are perpetuated without the burdens we encounter on Earth.  It's Utopic, Zion.  A place where we will become like our Heavenly Parents.  A place of peace, of progression, of rest, and of love.

And, ultimately, love will win.

At least, that's what I believe.