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Have you ever wondered...

Where did I live before this life?
What is the purpose of this life?
Where am I going after my life is over?

The answers to these questions are important for understanding our purpose in living. If you've followed my career over the years, you'll know that my family has always been the most important part of my life. A basic understanding of Jesus Christ's plan of salvation will explain why it's so important to me.

Where did I live before this life?
Before we came to this earth we believe that we lived with our Heavenly Father as eternal individual spirits and developed many of the personality traits we now possess on earth. For example, if we have natural abilities toward any certain talents, whether small or great, they are all part of the spiritual nature that we brought with us from our pre-earth life. We were able to develop our capabilities, mature emotionally and spiritually, and our knowledge increased as we performed the tasks assigned to us.

Our Heavenly Parents want their children to have every opportunity to receive all the blessings and privileges they enjoy. For that to happen, it was necessary for us to obtain physical bodies of flesh and bone, to come to earth and be tested on our faithfulness and willingness to keep the commandments. If we are faithful and endure the suffering, pain, sorrow and temptation that life may bring; after our resurrection, we can enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of God. This is possible only by virtue of the atonement of his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

We are not here just by some accident. Our Heavenly Father is in control of when we come to earth. He knows our individual characteristics that we developed in our premortal existence with Him. God is all knowing, so He selects the most suitable location and time for our births on earth. This is pointed out in the Bible (Acts 17:26) "[God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation."

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What is the purpose of this life?
This earth was created for us to leave our Heavenly Parents and exercise our individual free agency. We show that we fully appreciate and respect our relationship to God, our Heavenly Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ, by how we obey the laws and principles of the gospel as taught by the Savior during his earthly ministry, as well as the words of his prophets.

We have the opportunities to grow and to choose between right and wrong, good and bad, with a promise that we can return to his presence if we make wise choices. Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you...that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3) What a marvelous promise!

A plan has been given to us to follow so that we can receive that reward if we want it. No matter how difficult it may seem to achieve, it is possible. It seems totally unreasonable that a kind, loving Heavenly Father would send His children to earth, obtain mortal bodies and gain temporal experiences if His eternal plan called for us to simply die without any hope of a reunion with Him.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, every person who has ever lived on this earth will receive a literal resurrection as did the Savior - a reuniting of our spirit with our physical body. (Ezekiel 37: 1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:22, John 11:25) Those who are faithful will return to God's presence and be reunited with their friends and families in an eternal union with those they love. This I definitely believe!

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Where am I going after this life is over?
As Jesus Christ hung dying on the cross, he expressed his knowledge of a life after death to the thief next to him when he said "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Then, three days after he had been laid to rest in a tomb, Jesus appeared to Mary. As she approached him, she was cautioned, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and unto my God, and your God." (John 20:17) As we lose our friends and loved ones through death, this gives me so much peace of mind. They are not lost and gone forever. They have only taken another step in their eternal progression.

As I mentioned above, our Heavenly Parents have given us the opportunity to receive all the blessings and happiness they now enjoy. It's only logical that a loving parent would want that for his children. As an earthly parent, I want my children to receive as much happiness and joy as they possibly can. I'm not suggesting that we can become equal with God. That would be blasphemous. But just as my earthly father has given me so many wonderful opportunities in life, including becoming a father myself, he still is and always will be my earthly father. So I exalt him through my progression. In a similar way, as we progress in our eternal growth, we glorify our Father in Heaven by achieving our potential and fulfilling the measure of our creation.

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