"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these 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
It is so interesting to get a glimpse into what God was thinking as he created the earth. It seems so simple in some ways... let's take some materials and build an earth, let's see how these people behave in that environment. And yet... wow. If it were clay or tinker toys, maybe yeah, but build an earth? I can't really wrap my head around how to even start that, or how anyone would work with "materials" on that scale. :) And then getting into the why, of proving or testing us, that's even bigger in some ways. This earth is a proving ground for us... maybe like a coming-of-age ritual or going off to college. Growing up, we're in the environment of our parents, and until we get our on our own, we don't even know who we are yet. In some areas, we don't even develop our own opinions until we have to confront our own decisions about those things, away from a more controlled environment. Maybe we start second guessing our politics or our choice of major. We learn independence and maybe we like it, or maybe we're afraid of it, or both. Do our reading, viewing, and listening choices change when we're the only one around? Do we lose dedication to things that our parents believed in, or do we reaffirm previous choices and find that they matter to us on a deep, personal level?
I think earth life is similar. Who are we when we are separated from God? When we have enough room to disagree with him, do we? Or do we learn that what he is teaching really matters to us? This life is a chance for God to see who we are and what we choose when we are away from him and are learning to be independent. And it teaches us a lot too, about who we are and what we want most in life... what we value, and who we want to be. And based on our choices, we'll reach an eternity that reflects who we are striving to become.
Today, let's remember that this life is about who we want to be forever. Let's make better choices that reflect what we want long term, not just temporary diversions. Let's listen to God, and allow him to help us find our way back to him.
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
It is so interesting to get a glimpse into what God was thinking as he created the earth. It seems so simple in some ways... let's take some materials and build an earth, let's see how these people behave in that environment. And yet... wow. If it were clay or tinker toys, maybe yeah, but build an earth? I can't really wrap my head around how to even start that, or how anyone would work with "materials" on that scale. :) And then getting into the why, of proving or testing us, that's even bigger in some ways. This earth is a proving ground for us... maybe like a coming-of-age ritual or going off to college. Growing up, we're in the environment of our parents, and until we get our on our own, we don't even know who we are yet. In some areas, we don't even develop our own opinions until we have to confront our own decisions about those things, away from a more controlled environment. Maybe we start second guessing our politics or our choice of major. We learn independence and maybe we like it, or maybe we're afraid of it, or both. Do our reading, viewing, and listening choices change when we're the only one around? Do we lose dedication to things that our parents believed in, or do we reaffirm previous choices and find that they matter to us on a deep, personal level?
I think earth life is similar. Who are we when we are separated from God? When we have enough room to disagree with him, do we? Or do we learn that what he is teaching really matters to us? This life is a chance for God to see who we are and what we choose when we are away from him and are learning to be independent. And it teaches us a lot too, about who we are and what we want most in life... what we value, and who we want to be. And based on our choices, we'll reach an eternity that reflects who we are striving to become.
Today, let's remember that this life is about who we want to be forever. Let's make better choices that reflect what we want long term, not just temporary diversions. Let's listen to God, and allow him to help us find our way back to him.
Suzanne, thank you for sharing your thoughtful insights. I have just read them out loud and shared them with a large group of people in the gospel.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you found them useful. Thanks. :)
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