In your life, what are some things that you are really, truly thankful for? Some people may say that they are thankful for their car, their job or their shoe collection. This day in age is so based on the materialistic things in life, that we are not really focused on what is really important and what really matters. Just this Sunday, this question was presented to my Sunday school class and some of the answers surprised me. Only several people answered the question including myself, but what was said really impressed me. The spirit filled the room so strongly and I could tell that everybody was thinking of things that they were thankful for, even if they weren't going to speak up about it. Somebody said that they were thankful for the Temple, and having it be so close to where we live. Then somebody else said that they were thankful for the scriptures that we have to fill ourselves with knowledge of the Lord. Immediately I knew what it was that I was most thankful for in that very moment, it actually occurred to me before class even started and that question was asked. In the closing hymn of Sacrament, one of the verses of the song was "Thankful for the love of humans" or something along the lines of that. Everyday I am beyond thankful for the love that we can form between one another and receive from people that we are close to and care about, especially since right now we can not physically receive the love from out Heavenly Father. Through the bonds that He has allowed us to make in this mortal form, we learn how to love as He does and feel that love in return.
Heavenly Father loves us all, and wants us to be as happy as possible throughout our time on earth. He allows us to be happy and feel as if blessings and miracles are being worked in our lives when we choose to follow His commandments and live by His word. Every time we make a good decision when the option to make a bad was presented He shows us His love through placing happiness and blessings in our lives, even when we think he isn't. He works with us through the people that he places in our lives, which is where what I stated I was thankful for in class takes place. What really got me thinking of the love of other human beings and the relationships that we can form is when I was speaking to my friend Janae about my missionaries just this last week. I was telling her about how Malietoa messaged me several weeks ago to tell me that he was going to come back to America from Samoa to attend BYU. Along with those messages we exchanged a bit of heart to heart with each other, telling one another how much we missed the other and that we are forever brother and sister. So I shared some of this with her and she said something to me that really hit my heart. She told me that he really meant all those nice things he said to me. She went on a mission and knew what it was like to have friendships with the people that she converted to the church. She explained that every missionary has a very special connection with their convert and they always end up loving them and having a place for them in their heart. With certain people, she explained to me that she even felt as if she knew them in the premortal existence from the way the spirit filled the room. She could just tell.
Since I've joined the church, I've often wondered about what she had just shared with me. I've often wondered if there were people in my life that I knew before we were sent down to earth to serve our missions of life. That was something that I had even had discussions with several friends beforehand and I was still kind of curious about. But everything was cleared up to me the Sunday prior to that Tuesday that Janae and I had spoken. That Sunday, the new Elder to the institute, Elder Barney gave a talk to kind of introduce himself to the ward as a whole and explain why he went on a mission. Towards the end of the talk he gave, he mentioned something about a dream this one person had. I'm not 100% sure I remember what he said correctly but this is what I took out of it. He spoke of this man who had a dream and in that dream he and his best friend were in the premortal existence and were about to receive their calls to serve their earth lives. One friend was going to be sent to a family in the united states that would raise him as a member of the church and the other friend was to be sent to a family in a third world country where he wouldn't have the Gospel. But right before they were sent down to their families the friend who would have the Gospel made a promise to come find him someday and through his mission he would.
This all had me thinking so much, everything that happens happens for a reason. In my opinion there is no real coincidences. Certain people are missionaries to people for a reason, there is a reason why my friend Savannah and I became such close friends in what almost seemed instantly out of nowhere. There is a reason why Elder Malietoa and Elder Saager were my missionaries. There is a reason why we are in the places that we are in the times that we are. When we are meant to find someone and have someone in our lives, it is for a real good reason. I truly, honestly do believe that Elder Saager, Malietoa, Savannah and I knew each other before this life. I truly do believe that we knew what our lives on earth would be like and we made a deal, no a promise to find each other again someday. That promise was kept, and because they kept that promise I now have three of thee most amazing people I've ever met in my entire life, back in my life now. They were once strangers, forgotten because of the veil. But now they are loved ones of mine, forever and eternity all through the works of our Heavenly Father.. Coincidence? I think not.
"Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor of the first presidency.
No comments:
Post a Comment