Am I Turtly enough for the Turtle Club?

Well.  I have decided that I want to be more like a turtle one day.  Now I do not know to much about the thought process of the creatures, but from what I have observed they are worth admiring.  I can not even count how many of the little guys we have passed in our recent travels.  They are all just there.  Right in the middle of the road.  Some might consider them suicidal.  I choose to call them determined.  It takes a lot of dedication to ones end goal to endure facing so much danger.  I mean there are a lot of crazy drivers out on these Kentucky roads.  We all know they can not dodge those kinds of things.  And its hot, they could melt right on the spot.  The turtles however stay focused.   Maybe they know that a better life is just on the other side of that long stretch of pavement.  Maybe the mere hope of such an ideal is enough to drive them to act.  Maybe they trust their instinct so much it leaves no room for doubt.  They are determined to the end.  Sticking with what they know is right even when they know it may cost them everything.

Our challenge today is simlar to that of my turtle friends that patiently, and diligently maintain a larger perspective.  An eternal perspective you might say.  Often we do not know what promised blessings await us on the other side of that long and dangerous journey.  But if we stay fast to what we know to be true, trusting in those instincts that are greater than our own, our reward will be of infinate worth. 

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God adn of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

2 Nephi 31:20

Spiritual Destiny

Like it frequently is, life as a missionary has been a bit hectic lately.  I wanted to get something up today so I looked up one of my favorite talks.  Elder Neil Anderson, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, teaches us about the importance of our existence.  He gives wonderful guidance and direction for preparing for our spiritual destines.  Here is a brief excerpt, check out the link to get the whole effect.

Journey through Mortality

Number 1: You are on a journey through mortality.

The passengers of Flight 1549 did not begin their existence as they entered the plane in New York. They were on a journey. Much had occurred in their lives prior to the flight, and much would occur following the flight. Likewise, this mortal life is not where we began nor is it where we will end. We are on a journey. This journey began a very long time ago in a premortal state where we received our “first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:56). We are literally spirit sons and daughters of heavenly parents. The Lord has said, “I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh” (Moses 6:51), “for in heaven created I them” (Moses 3:5).

The poet William Wordsworth wrote these beautiful words:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home.1

Our premortal life was not a passive existence. We had choices to make there as we do here. We had progressed and were in need of a physical body and the experiences of mortality. We needed to prove our willingness to live by faith. Our Heavenly Father presented a plan to us. Central to that plan was the role of His Only Begotten Son to provide a way back for us. We accepted the Father’s plan and rejoiced in the chosen Savior. Our foreordained opportunities and responsibilities help shape what we are to do in mortality. In ways not fully understood, “our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality.”2

We are now here—in our long-awaited mortality. Although we have no present memory of our premortal life, it rings true to us. Even in this life we don’t remember all the things that are important. For example, do you remember speaking your first words or taking your first steps? Do you remember thinking, “You know, my mother is not carrying me around as much as she used to. So, if I am going to move around like I want to, I better get up and walk”? It is not difficult for us to sense deep inside that who we are did not begin with our birth into mortality. We are sons and daughters of God. There is a passage in Alma that describes the role of the scriptures to “[enlarge] the memory of this people” (Alma 37:8). Our memories have been enlarged, and we know that we prepared for the life we are now living.

Just as our life began before our birth into mortality, our life does not end with the stopping of a heartbeat. We will continue on. Who you are—you, the distinct individual—you will always be you. Some may say, “I don’t like myself.” Sorry. You can shape who you become, you can be more than you are today, but you will always be you.

LDS.org - CES Fireside - Preparing for Your Spiritual Destiny