Today was an okay day for the most part. I can’t complain about it. It was a little strange feeling at times. I can’t really describe it. I’m not sure I want to understand. Not many kittens running around today. It was pretty overcast, maybe they went into hiding. Who knows! Maybe there are things in life which are meant to be confusing. Yeah well that doesn’t mean it will make sense. There’s a lot of things that don’t add up most days. Whatever happens in life will happen for a reason. There’s nothing I can do to change or fix it. It will take place as it always is meant to be. That is the secret behind it all. Such a confusing concept that of destiny. We all have a destiny. We want to believe we are in control of our own destiny. I don’t believe this to be the case. They say God has a plan for us. What if He knows the beginning to the end. How we will react to different situations. It doesn’t leave much room for agency now does it? Nothing feels like it’s up to chance anymore. Th...
Life Is Messy
Let’s face it, life can be messy at times. That is to say it’s difficult. There isn’t anything you can do about it to make this life easier. I wish I could understand why this life is so difficult at times, but I don’t have the answers to those questions. So many questions in this life where the answers aren’t plain as day. That’s the problem with life at times. The answers aren’t always clear.
If I had the ability to figure life out, I think I would have figured it out a long time ago. Unfortunately, I don’t have that ability. I don’t think anyone has that ability. If they did, well no one’s coming forward saying they can do this or that and make life better simply by existing. If we simply exist, you would think we would be able to figure out something about this life. I don’t know what that something is.
The Journey
Life is a journey. It’s a long one, and it’s not always easy. But it’s worth it. The journey is what makes life worth living. It’s the ups and downs, the twists and turns. In one of my favorite shows, Star Trek: Voyager, they toast “To The Journey.”1
If the destination doesn’t matter, and it truly is the journey that we must focus on, then why not? It makes sense to me. We gain experience through living life and going on “the journey.” We learn and grow from experiencing different things in this life. That’s how this life is meant to be handled.
I don’t think this life is meant to be hard for people to get through. I think we have the ability to make it difficult at times, but I doubt God wants us to be miserable. The book of 2nd Nephi states plainly:
Men are that they might have joy.2
So why not take the scripture at face value? What makes this life unbearable and us unwilling to allow ourselves to be happy and have joy? If God wants us to be happy, we need to be able to find that way of happiness. God can help direct us towards that end goal if we desire to follow Him.
The key to remember is we are not alone in this life. God is there with his hands outstretched waiting to accept us for who we are. He is no respector of persons.3 He loves us all the same. It is us who push God away and make it difficult for ourselves to find happiness.
Regrets
Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.4
Everyone in life has a regret or two they would like to get rid of or change completely. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all have things we wish we didn’t do, or did differently in life. The key is not to allow those regrets to control our lives. We can’t change the past. There is no going back and fixing things, as it were. We can, however, look forward to the future and make the best out of it.
There was a man in the Book of Mormon named Alma the Younger, he was a very wicked man who sought to destroy the Church of God. Along with his companions, the sons of Mosiah, they went about trying to destroy the Church. One day, an angel appeared to Alma and his companions and told them to stop what they were doing. Alma was struck down and was unable to move for three days. During that time, he had a change of heart and repented of his sins. After that, he went on to become a great leader in the Church and was able to help many people find happiness and joy in their lives. He didn’t let his past control him, but instead, he looked forward to the future and made the best out of it.5
If a man like Alma the Younger can change his life around and find happiness, then so can we. We must have the courage to make that change within ourselves.
Faith In Christ
We must have faith in Jesus Christ to make the necessary course corrections in our lives to become one with God. We can’t do it on our own, that’s why Christ was sent to this Earth so he could die for our sins.
We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.6
Nephi wrote for our day. He wrote things down that he was inspired to write so that we could have knowledge of Jesus Christ who is our Redeemer and Savior of the world.
And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.7
If he can write what he wrote and believe in it, then can’t I do the same? Can’t I have faith in Jesus Christ just as Nephi did and write what I feel inspired to write? I think I can. I can’t be alone in this thinking. I think there are many people who feel the same way that I do. I’m not saying I am a prophet or a leader, that would be blasphemy. No, I am a simple man who “sins in my wish”8 I am just a person trying his best to get by in life.
A prophet by the name of Moroni saw our day. He wrote about it in the Book of Mormon:
Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.9
If an ancient prophet had concerns over us and our day, then should we not be concerned about the same things? Shouldn’t we worry about what will become of us? If we are to be damned because of our iniquities, then we should be worried about that and repent to strive to become better than we are. We should be striving to become more like Christ and less like the world.
Wickedness Never Was Happiness10
Some people believe that we must find pleasure in this life in order to be happy. That we can do whatever it is we want to do and that will bring about joy. This is a lie from the devil. We cannot be happy by doing wicked things. It is not in the program. The devil lies in wait to decive us.
Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.11
The devil wants us to be as miserable as he is. He doesn’t have a body, he forfeit that opportunity when he rebelled against God in the pre-existence and was cast down to Earth without a body. It is important to look to God and live just like those of ancient times who were promised life if they would but look upon the serpant staff.12
Christ Is The Way
Jesus Christ brings joy and happiness into our lives if we but follow Him.13 He is the way, the truth, and the life.14 It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved. There is no other way. If we can learn this one lesson in life, we will have Salvation and Eternal life in the life that is to come. How difficult is it to learn this one thought process? I don’t think it’s that difficult at all. We must believe. It starts with believe, grows into faith, and turns into a perfect knowledge of the truth.15
Jesus spoke plainly to the people regarding Himself.16 They rejected him because of his teachings and message. Jesus heals us with his stripes.17 He is the one who can save us from our sins and bring us back to God. Without Him, we are nothing. Forgotten and unable to attain salvation by our own.
Conclusion
In the end, it is Jesus who knows us best. He has borne our burdens and carried our sorrows. He knows what it’s like to go through this life. He knows us. He loves us. He wants us to be happy, and He wants us to return to Him. Jesus lived on this Earth where he preached the gospel of repentence to the masses. He was crucified for our sins and rose again on the third day. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
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