I Got It All Wrong
Hannah is napping. I should really be cleaning the house right now.
No, I mean, really.
I'm afraid that dust bunnies will suddenly jump me from behind as I sit here and suffocate me.
But I guess I'll just have to take my chances and rely on my mad karate skills to defend myself from the attacks. However, I've never taken a day of karate in my life, so that might be a small problem. But I have a dog. She'll protect me. Right? Or will she side with the dust bunnies? . .
Okay, I'm getting distracted.
This post will be a little different. Mainly because I'll admit to having had a question about the gospel. Now, don't panic and sic the bishop on me. :) I know the Church is true now more than ever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
But as way of disclaimer, these words are just my thoughts. Don't go doubting the Church or questioning your existence or any of that stuff based on this post, mm'kay?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My question originated from something that I don't know too terribly much about. Namely, how God came to be God, and how we can become Gods and Goddesses in the life after this one. I know that the Atonement of Christ can make up for my sins and imperfections, allowing me {and my family} to live forever in His presence and become, literally, Gods and Goddesses. I'll also be able to create worlds, just as God the Father did.
I got to wondering about how the folks on the planets we create will function. Will they be just like us, here on Earth? When they die, will they return to Heaven just as we will? And the kicker-- will they therefore need a Savior? Will we then be required to sacrifice one of our own to atone for the sins/weaknesses of those on the planets we have created, just as Heavenly Father did with Jesus Christ?
My brain was a pretzel, to say the least. I don't know much about the after-life and about our lives as Gods, I just know that it's an eventuality {should we do what is necessary to qualify}. So all I can really do is speculate.
Something just kept nagging on me, though. I thought, "Well, is God actually THE God, or is He merely some dude that lived His life on some other planet and became a God?"
And while I still have no concrete answer and I probably won't until I get to Heaven, the question no longer bugs me. It no longer matters one way or the other.
You see, I had it all wrong.
I was focusing on the fact that God had been just like us. He had been imperfect. Maybe he struggled with multiplication tables and hated zucchini. He had made mistakes. I struggled with the concept of believing and trusting in Him completely if He wasn't THE God {you know, the one who started it ALL}.
But then it dawned on me.
Technically, as far as I'm concerned, He DID start it all. He created my body, and this beautiful world. He has answered my prayers; dried my tears; laughed with me and helped me along my way. He is perfect. He is all-knowing.
He may have started out like you and me, but all the better!
Just as we can feel a special bond with Jesus Christ because He suffered completely for us and thereby understands what we're going through, the same can be said of God the Father. If He truly was a mortal once {which I believe He was, at some point}, He had struggles, and He overcame them. Just like WE can.
Life was no easier on Him than it is on us.
He is PERFECT because He earned it.
And you and I can become as He is.
So hopefully this post made sense to you. :) I really didn't plan on writing it, but it just sort of popped out. I felt like I needed to admit that I don't understand everything all the time, and that I wonder about some things now and again. But the important thing is that when presented with something that concerns us, we figure it out. We pray about it. We study up on it. We don't trip over the pebble, so to speak.
Everything we go through in life is teaching us something; preparing us for something. I'm sure I've mentioned this before {probably a zillion times}, but we don't learn virtues from a book. If we want to be virtuous, for example, we don't go about it by . . . you know :). If we want to be charitable, we don't sit on our money and time and growl whenever someone gets too close.
We earn our virtues.
By the time we become prefect in something, it's because we have been tested and tried. We know that thing inside and out! We can't just waltz up to Heaven and say, "Yo. Whaz up. I read, like, forty books about patience while on Earth, so I think I know it pretty well. Hand over the 'world making power' stuff. I've got this."
Preeetty sure it doesn't work that way.
:)
So, my peeps, don't give up on yourselves. And don't panic. It's all gonna work out okay. I promise. Just keep on truckin' and learning while you go.
No, I mean, really.
I'm afraid that dust bunnies will suddenly jump me from behind as I sit here and suffocate me.
But I guess I'll just have to take my chances and rely on my mad karate skills to defend myself from the attacks. However, I've never taken a day of karate in my life, so that might be a small problem. But I have a dog. She'll protect me. Right? Or will she side with the dust bunnies? . .
Okay, I'm getting distracted.
This post will be a little different. Mainly because I'll admit to having had a question about the gospel. Now, don't panic and sic the bishop on me. :) I know the Church is true now more than ever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
But as way of disclaimer, these words are just my thoughts. Don't go doubting the Church or questioning your existence or any of that stuff based on this post, mm'kay?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My question originated from something that I don't know too terribly much about. Namely, how God came to be God, and how we can become Gods and Goddesses in the life after this one. I know that the Atonement of Christ can make up for my sins and imperfections, allowing me {and my family} to live forever in His presence and become, literally, Gods and Goddesses. I'll also be able to create worlds, just as God the Father did.
I got to wondering about how the folks on the planets we create will function. Will they be just like us, here on Earth? When they die, will they return to Heaven just as we will? And the kicker-- will they therefore need a Savior? Will we then be required to sacrifice one of our own to atone for the sins/weaknesses of those on the planets we have created, just as Heavenly Father did with Jesus Christ?
My brain was a pretzel, to say the least. I don't know much about the after-life and about our lives as Gods, I just know that it's an eventuality {should we do what is necessary to qualify}. So all I can really do is speculate.
Something just kept nagging on me, though. I thought, "Well, is God actually THE God, or is He merely some dude that lived His life on some other planet and became a God?"
And while I still have no concrete answer and I probably won't until I get to Heaven, the question no longer bugs me. It no longer matters one way or the other.
You see, I had it all wrong.
I was focusing on the fact that God had been just like us. He had been imperfect. Maybe he struggled with multiplication tables and hated zucchini. He had made mistakes. I struggled with the concept of believing and trusting in Him completely if He wasn't THE God {you know, the one who started it ALL}.
But then it dawned on me.
Technically, as far as I'm concerned, He DID start it all. He created my body, and this beautiful world. He has answered my prayers; dried my tears; laughed with me and helped me along my way. He is perfect. He is all-knowing.
He may have started out like you and me, but all the better!
Just as we can feel a special bond with Jesus Christ because He suffered completely for us and thereby understands what we're going through, the same can be said of God the Father. If He truly was a mortal once {which I believe He was, at some point}, He had struggles, and He overcame them. Just like WE can.
Life was no easier on Him than it is on us.
He is PERFECT because He earned it.
And you and I can become as He is.
So hopefully this post made sense to you. :) I really didn't plan on writing it, but it just sort of popped out. I felt like I needed to admit that I don't understand everything all the time, and that I wonder about some things now and again. But the important thing is that when presented with something that concerns us, we figure it out. We pray about it. We study up on it. We don't trip over the pebble, so to speak.
Everything we go through in life is teaching us something; preparing us for something. I'm sure I've mentioned this before {probably a zillion times}, but we don't learn virtues from a book. If we want to be virtuous, for example, we don't go about it by . . . you know :). If we want to be charitable, we don't sit on our money and time and growl whenever someone gets too close.
We earn our virtues.
By the time we become prefect in something, it's because we have been tested and tried. We know that thing inside and out! We can't just waltz up to Heaven and say, "Yo. Whaz up. I read, like, forty books about patience while on Earth, so I think I know it pretty well. Hand over the 'world making power' stuff. I've got this."
Preeetty sure it doesn't work that way.
:)
So, my peeps, don't give up on yourselves. And don't panic. It's all gonna work out okay. I promise. Just keep on truckin' and learning while you go.
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