August 14-20

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There is a doctrine, unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that is often a source of ridicule to us. While others believe themselves to be children of God in some sense of the word, we take the bible verse about being children of God rather literally.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

As members of the church, we believe that we are literal spirit children of our Father in Heaven, and as such, we have the ability to become like Him. Some find that absolutely blasphemous, to put ourselves on the same level as God. However, as I’ve studied it and pondered it, I have found it to be anything but blasphemous. I have found it to make complete and utter sense, and I have found that it only makes me love, respect, and honor my Father in Heaven more.

Consider what we know about earthly parents

Immense amounts of research has been conducted on good parenting. There is a staggering amount of information on the subject. Because of our faith, we believe that Heavenly Father is the ultimate, perfect Parent. It would make sense that He would encompass all the best of what we know about parenting, and so I want you to consider what you believe to be a good parent. 

When I think of my own children, I want so much more for them than I had. I would imagine a great many parents feel this way. When I say that, I don’t mean that I want them to have more vacations and toys or even prestigious educational opportunities than I did. When I say that I want more for my children, I mean that I want them to be more. I want them to learn the ways of happiness faster than I did. I want them to learn wisdom younger so they can avoid pitfalls that I found myself in. I want them to face difficult things with more resilience than I had. I want them to take advantage of their agency combined with the power of God sooner and more fully than I did. If I want these good things for my children, how much more will God want them for His? He loves us enough, and He is powerful enough to help us achieve the happiness He has.

I have come to believe very sincerely that I am a spirit daughter of my Heavenly Father, and as such, I believe that Heavenly Father wants me to develop all the qualities that He has. I believe that throughout the eternities, I have the innate, divine ability to grow to become like my Father. I believe in a Father who has the ability to help me progress. I believe in a Father who has no ego, who wants His righteous children to experience all the joys that He experiences as a Father. 

As I mentioned previously, this sounds blasphemous to some. How dare I place myself on the same level as God? But blasphemy has nothing to do with it. Rather, I am floored that He would offer me all the happiness that is His. 

I believe that it is blasphemous to assert that God sent us here to grow, but only to a certain extent. I believe that it is blasphemous to assert that He is all-powerful and all-loving, but He wants to keep Himself “above” everyone else. 

I picture a mortal father in his old age, surrounded by children who felt loved by him. I picture these children have grown up to hold various jobs, get married, and have their own families. They have grown to the stature of their father because of their father. How do you think they feel about their father? Even if they grew up to be as good as him, there will always be an ultimate sense of reverence and honor. And in the case of our Heavenly Father, there will always be that aspect of worship. Even as we rise to the vastness of our potential, God will remain the One who enabled it all to happen. We will not stop worshiping our God as we grow to become like Him; rather, we will worship and love Him all the more. I believe that my choices to grow to become like Him are the ultimate form of my worship.

What was the point of earth?

I have recently begun trying to teach my son to put on his own jacket. He often gets frustrated and wants me to do it for him, but I make him do it anyway. Why? Because this is one step of many in the process of becoming an independent, functioning, well-adjusted adult.

I believe that this was the true point of coming to earth. He set up an environment for us to grow. It was not an arbitrary environment. It was an environment similar (but fallen) to the kind of environment we would experience in the next life. What is the point of earth if not to prepare us to be like Him? Why make us parents if it’s irrelevant to what we’ll be doing in eternity? Why let us get married and experience the joy of unity if it doesn’t continue on the other side? Why allow us to grow at all? What would the point be?

If I were God, and if the eternity of my children was going to be spent sitting on a cloud, singing, living in a constant state of ecstasy, I wouldn’t have cared to give them growing pains. I wouldn’t have cared to give them commandments. I wouldn’t have cared whether they learned how to be responsible people full of integrity; what do they need integrity for? What will all of that growth do for them? No, if heaven was just sitting and praising and feeling all glowy, I would have created the earth, given them drugs, and put them in choirs. 

Seriously, why??? The relatively little amount of growth I have experienced here in mortal life has opened my eyes to how great God is and how beautiful His life must be. You may argue that He teaches us enough that we can fully appreciate Him, but would that appreciation end as eternity stretches on into nothing? If I hold the same consciousness that I hold in mortality, if I take all of my knowledge with me, would I be content to sit in a constant state of ecstasy? Honestly, no. Maybe some people would say yes, but I have learned the importance and beauty of difficulty. Heavenly Father’s life is not easy; imagine what He has to witness in His children on a daily basis. Heavenly Father sent me here and gave me a taste of what it means to struggle, progress, triumph, create, forgive, overcome, and live with a family because that is the life He lives. I am literally preparing for the next life. Earth makes no sense if there is not something to grow for on the other side.

Suffer together

Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

When the scriptures teach that we are to suffer with Him, it does not mean that we will undergo the same suffering He experienced during the atonement that enabled this entire plan to be put in motion. It does not mean that God wants us to suffer because He is simply testing us; it is so much more. Rather, we will suffer so that we can realize our ultimate destiny and become the best we can be.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The suffering here on earth is nothing compared to the glory which shall be revealed IN us. If we suffer with Christ, that is to say, if we allow Christ to be our companion through our suffering, then our suffering will forge the glory laying dormant inside of us. 

If the mother who loses her child allows Christ to carry her through her suffering, it will make her a glorious person. As she stands on the other side with her child in her arms, she will see that the suffering (combined with the atonement of Jesus Christ) made her who she is. 

That is just one example of suffering, but the principle applies to any suffering we may experience.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Every experience works for our good when we love God and walk with Him. It will not all feel good, but it will be for our good. He created this earth with the knowledge of all the suffering that would occur inside of it because He knew what it would do for us. I think of a parent who allows their child to experience natural consequences because they know it will create the adult they want their child to become. But Christ takes it a step even further! Not only does He allow these experiences to push us towards our ultimate destiny as children of God, but He chose to suffer all of those experiences too so that He would know how to walk us through it. Not only did He pay for the sins that would occur while we worked to become like Him, but He suffered our pains so that we wouldn’t have to be alone while we grew.

I love Him for it. I love that He gave me my mortal life to become like Him. I love that He paid for it, and I love that He chose to suffer my pains so I wouldn’t have to walk alone. I do not blaspheme His name when I choose to rise into the potential that He meant for me. Rather, I become the ultimate expression of worship and glory for Him.