I was pondering the statement that the afterlife—whichever kingdom we go to—will be more fabulous than earth life… and yet those who do not reach the highest of the 3 degrees of glory (1Cor 15: 40-42) will have ‘weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.” How could it be both?
We are told that if we are unrepentant, we will shrink from God as all our sins will be revealed. And we will choose a lesser kingdom. (Mormon 9:3-4) I can understand that. When I was young I was around people that were so good, I couldn’t stand to be with them. I had to act and pretend to be someone I was not. I realized if I didn’t improve myself, I’d feel that way when I met God.
And we also know that the spirit we have in this life is the one we will take to the life hereafter. (Alma 34:32-34) So if we are kind, loving, gentle, caring, etc, we will take that spirit with us in the afterlife. But if we have the spirit of contention, the spirit of malice, or of revenge, we will take those attributes with us to the next life. And we are told in the same scripture, that this life is the time to prepare to meet God.
I thought, if I have malice, am vengeful, unkind, or small minded, I will not be happy here on earth, and even in the next life, if I take those attributes with me, I will not be happy there either. I will only be comfortable around like-minded people. But that will not lead to peace or joy. Jesus will not remove the sins we have clung to in this life—that would take away our agency. Jesus will only remove the ones we’ve tried to get rid of or change—to repent of—in this life.
So it becomes imperative that we cleanse and change ourselves while in this life. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) We may SAY that we have faith in Jesus Christ. But if our actions are selfish, small-minded, and unChristlike, we really don’t have faith in Him. Faith is an action word. If we have faith, we DO. We believe what he says. We act as he asks us to act. We trust that blessings come from obedience. We love him and want to be good. And then, with the wanting, comes effort, prayer, and consistent determination to improve—in other words, faith leads to repentance. Repentance is turning away from that which is not pleasing to God, to those things he’s asked us to do in the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the words from the living prophets. Start with perfecting ourselves with the 10 commandments then move to loving our neighbor as ourselves, and so on. He said, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”(Matt 5:48) That’s the goal to work towards. We don’t do it by ourselves. We have faith that if we try our best, we’ll have heavenly assistance and the Grace of Christ to add to our efforts. Brigham Young said that relying entirely on God to bless us is like praying to God to grant a great harvest when we have not tilled, or sowed the ground. We must do our part.
As we develop these Christ-like qualities we find peace and joy and happiness in this life and we are prepared for the next. I think this is where the “heaven on earth” phrase comes from. As we perfect ourselves, we do have joy in this world. Not that earth becomes a paradise or we have no problems, but that we can have comfort and strength and peace in the midst of trials.
It made me realize I need to work harder NOW to create a godly me. My faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement MUST lead me to action-- to changing and perfecting me as much as I can in this life. Our thoughts and words and deeds will exalt or condemn us. (Alma 12:14) And as a young missionary said at zone conference: If I learn patience now, it will help me the rest of my life. If I learn kindness, love, patience, etc. now… it will help me not only in this life but also the rest of my eternal life.
So that’s what I’ve been thinking about. What about you?
I have been realizing that other people may appear (at least to me) to be better moms or better people, but I need to stop comparing myself to them. I do not know their challenges or how their life really is. I only know mine. And I am the only person I should be comparing myself to. So what If Sister G spends 3 hours a day teaching her children the scriptures? I am not doing that and probably never will. However, I am doing better today than I was a year ago. As long as I am continually doing better and striving to be better, that is all that should matter to me.
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