Week 21 & Week 22

I am a little behind but these past two weeks have been great lessons. Last weeks lesson was a continuation of the Plan of Salvation lesson...it went into greater details of what happens after this life so it taught about the three degrees of glory- Telestial, Terestrial, and Celestial Kingdom. We are all aiming to make it to the Celestial Kingdom, where our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ reside. It is the only kingdom in which we can continue to progress...it is the only kingdom where we can be exalted and truly live eternally. There is a difference between living eternally and being immortal. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ every person born to this earth will be resurrected-they will be reunited, after death, with a perfected body and new body that is a gift every person has been given. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ and our applying his atonement to our own lives, we can choose to live eternally. You see in the telestial and terestrial kingdom we will not progress, we will not learn, we cannot move forward. It will be through our thoughts and actions on this earth and how we chose to apply the atonement (the mercy of our savior) that will determine which kingdom we will want and feel we belong in. Our Heavenly Father is a loving father and while he wants us all to return to him if we do not follow the example of his son Jesus Christ- there are consequences. We will understand those consequences, whether in this life or the next, before we come to the judgment and we will make our own choice. It seems as if that is an easy choice but just as in this life we know the right choices to make but don't want to do them so it will be in the next. Just because we will understand the plan perfectly we will still be the same person and having had the gospel taught we just may say I don't want too! Its too much work. I want to take the easier road. I want to know more. I don't know enough. Whatever our excuse is- we will make the choice because that is the the cruxt of the whole plan- Agency. Are we going to choose God's will or our own? We see miracles on a daily basis, if we are looking for them, and yet we still (as a world population)deny God exists. We have words from prophets long ago that have been preserved for our day and yet we still want more. God is an unchanging God, the only things that changes is us. It has been the same, yesterday, today and will be tomorrow- we must choose to follow Him or follow the adversary. In that process we must also remember it is not our right to judge others. We are all children of our heavenly father and we are all here to learn for ourselves and come unto Christ- we are learn at different rates and in different ways and at different times. I may be good at one thing and really see the difference it makes in my life and the doors it opens for me but to treat someone who doesn't or hasn't made those choices yet as if they are sinning is wrong...All we can do is bear our testimony and show through our example the joy it brings and others will follow on their own time and at their own pace. None of us are perfect but we call have strengths to help share with others without condemning. We have perfect "heavenly parents" it is our responsibility to love as they do.

This past week's lesson was on "The day of the Lord." It was an involved lesson but I must admit there is one part that really changed my thoughts. In the world of religion and scriptures we hear about the calamities and wickedness that is going to and already does exist when the second coming approaches. No one knows the day or time, not even our Savior- only his Father. We tend to focus on the negativity and yet truly we should be looking for the joy in the midst of the wickedness. As I was reading Doctrine and Covenants 45:36-39; a scripture about the parable of the fig tree throughout the week I pondered on its words. I didn't get what the fig tree had to do with the second coming. Because I didn't quite understand it i wasn't going to use it with the lesson but as I handed out scriptures to read I accidentally gave that one out. When I heard it begin to be read my heart stopped and I was nervous about how i was going to explain it. But as I read the scripture with the student reading it a peace came over me and I understood.

36 And when the alight shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you—
37 Ye look and behold the figtrees, and ye see them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand;
38 Even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh.
39 And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.

"they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender" made me think of spring and how after a long, cold winter, with darkness all around we see the tiniest bit of hope in the trees that 'begin to shoot forth' and while we know there is still going to cold, and darkness and dreary days- we have seen the sign "that summer is now nigh at hand" we know that the sun is going to shine or may i say that the Son of God is going to reign.
I was so grateful to my Heavenly Father for sharing that little piece of knowledge with me so that I could share it with my kids. As I have continued to ponder this thought my heart has been full. The world is wicked and great calamities are taking place very close to home and we know it is going to get even worse and enduring to the end gets more and more difficult it is moments like these that keep me going on. Prophecies have been given and fulfilled and they continue to do so and knowing this, that every prophecy ever given will be fulfilled, it fills me with hope. I know as I stay close to the Lord and look for the small joys, small miracles I will be blessed and whether or not I am here to witness the coming of the Lord I will be standing on His side.

Week 20

The plan of salvation is an integral part of the gospel that I believe we don't ponder enough. At least I know that I haven't. But as I prepared for this lesson I realized that the plan of salvation is everything in gospel- it is the creation, the fall/atonement and the resurrection. It answers in great detail because of modern day revelation and scripture the most asked questions of Where did I come from? why am i here? and Where am I going? i always knew I had the answers to those questions but I didn't connect the plan of salvation as encompassing all of those questions. It is appropriate that this weeks lesson follows the lesson regarding the temple because the temple is the place where, in even greater detail, we come to understand the plan of salvation and how if applies to each individual who has ever lived, lives or ever will live on this earth. We are all son's and daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us. Before sending us to this earth he layed out the plan and those who accepted it have the opportunity to come to this earth to gain a body. Those who did not were cast out of Heaven and will never recieve a body; Lucifer was their leader. When we came to this earth a veil was drawn over our natural bodies but our spirits inhabit those bodies and as we search, ponder and pray those things that our spirits learned before coming to earth will be brought to our remembrance. We have the opportunity here on earth to act for ourselves, to choose righteousness or evil. there is no middle ground. We will either choose to live the plan or not. As we prove our faithfulness we will be given increased knowledge and our responsibility to take the knowledge and act upon it accordingly. Some may take that knowledge and use it for good and to build up the Kingdom of God, some may take that knowledge and find ways around it, even though they know what they should be doing. Some may take that knowledge and throw it aside, stomp on it and rebel against it. Ultimately we will be judged on how we use that knowledge and to the degree in which we lived it. However, because of the atonement of Jesus christ we can repent and change our hearts. That change is reflected in our actions. We can't just say we believe we have to live it. Because of the resurrection of Jesus christ we will all be resurrected with perfected bodies. Now I know that as I write this there is more to the plan than what I have written. I am just writing as i think and I have probably left out some things. The most important things we must remember is that we are sons and daughters of God. We knew the plan when we came here and we chose to follow it. I know that our Savior, Brother, Jesus Christ was the integral part of that plan and that he atoned for our sins and our heartaches. He knows each and every one of us personally. He understands our pains. I know that because of His atonement each and everyone of us will stand with him, in our resurrected bodies, at the judgement seat to be judged of our actions and our hearts and in His mercy he will take upon Himself those things that we have repented for. That if we have proven ourselves worthy we will be able to enter the gates that lead to the mansions he has prepared for us and we will be able to live with Him and our Heavenly Father for eternity- along with all our other family members with whom we have been sealed by the power of the priesthood. I am so grateful for my knowledge of this plan and how I can continue to search, ponder and pray for more. I love it