"Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death.
Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state."
Alma 42:9-10
I like this explanation of the fall in this chapter, not as an accident, but as part of a larger plan. And within that plan was Christ's atonement, but also this in between time, between birth and death that we call our lives, where we could prepare. Because saving us from the fall guarantees us life, but not happiness. Happiness is the Lord's plan for all of us so that we can prepare for eternity, becoming the people that we want to be, changing ourselves through repentence and practice and study, and becoming people that we actually like, and would like to hang out with for eternity. :)
Today, let's put some effort into preparation, thinking about who we want to be, compared to who we are, and then let's make a change... not a giant change that we are going to give up on in a few weeks and feel bad about ourselves, but a small change. Reading a few verses of scripture, say. Or saying a prayer. Let's fit something in that we didn't before--something that will help us grow closer to the Lord, who is our coach in all of this, and our friend, and our all-powerful father who can and will help us change and progress, and eventually find the joy that we seek.
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