I recently returned from my mission, and I am considered an adult. Truth be told, I still struggle to see myself that way, but it is a fact nonetheless. When I was younger, I guess I lived in a Peter Pan-esque way, where ultimately I had no responsibility and could do basically whatever I want. But now that I am a little older, returned from 2 years of proselytizing, and facing college, marriage, work and other "grown-up" ideas, I am beginning to realize that I need to start taking control of my future. I am not a child anymore; I am an adult, a man, and a disciple-in-the-making of God.
So I wonder, what now? Now that I am in charge, and I cannot rely on others to direct my life, what am I to do? As a child, it was go to school and have fun. On my mission, it was to teach as many people about Jesus Christ and His gospel as possible; very hard work, but I was still given a purpose, rather than creating one. Now, I must carve my own purpose. But what is that purpose? What do I do?
As I mentioned before, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, an Apostle for the Savior, is possibly my favorite speaker of all time, and he gave an excellent talk about 2 years ago describing his "reflections on a consecrated [or completely devoted, in particular to God] life." In there, he spells out what a truly successful life is to be modeled like. One that will provide the greatest joys and the deepest peace. He starts by quoting Elder Richard L. Evans, and this is an absolutely ingenious thought:
“Life
offers you two precious gifts—one is time, the other freedom of choice,
the freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to
exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base
desires. You may invest it in greed. …
“Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are no bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction.
“Every day, every hour, every minute of your span of mortal years must sometime be accounted for. And it is in this
life that you walk by faith and prove yourself able to choose good over
evil, right over wrong, enduring happiness over mere amusement. And
your eternal reward will be according to your choosing.
“A
prophet of God has said: ‘Men are that they might have joy’—a joy that
includes a fullness of life, a life dedicated to service, to love and
harmony in the home, and the fruits of honest toil—an acceptance of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ—of its requirements and commandments.
Elder Christofferson goes on to describe 5 fields in which consecration may be achieved. I wish to discuss 2 of those: purity and service.
Purity is to be completely cleansed of any impurity or vice. When speaking of men and women, that appears to be an impossible concept, as "there is none righteous" (Rom. 3: 10). All of us have slipped somewhere along the way, and that automatically disqualifies us from purity; or, so we may think. But I feel this is the absolute goal and purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! As a missionary, I along with thousands of others quoted quite often our purpose or mission statement, which is, paraphrasing here, through the Atonement or sacrifice of Jesus Christ we are to have faith in Him, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Through the Atonement we can all be pure, even as he is pure (1 John 3: 3).
That is why we live for such a long time. We are given many years to work on this process of purification! And this is exactly how God intends it; He has done all this that we might return to live with Him and enjoy a fulness of joy. That is why the scriptures are literally packed with invitations to repent! Because it is possible! God would not harp on such a subject repeatedly to the extent where many mock us for preaching repentance all the time if it did not work! Not only does He think it is a good idea, He has complete confidence it is entirely doable! God knows our mistakes; He is omniscient, all-knowing. But as aware as He is of our shortcomings, He likewise realizes our potential to change and become better! Christ invites us to return to Him, saying, "Repent, all ye ends of the earth,... that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27: 20).
Repentance is not easy. "Stubbornness, rebellion, and rationalization must be abandoned, and in their place submission, a desire for correction, and acceptance of all that the Lord may require" (Christofferson). But there is something beautiful in the purification process; as we purify ourselves, we begin to feel whole. We begin to feel complete. We feel the cleansing power of Christ. We feel God's love. I know this, for I have experienced each of them. And I know that this is entirely possible and available for you also.
This is all in-line with the Plan of Salvation. Our very purpose is to become as God is, and God designed this earth to fulfill that very purpose! If we are not growing, changing, and becoming better people day-to-day, what are we doing with our life? I promise you, it is of no worth if we are not growing towards God. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to develop and one day present the best gift I could ever give to my Father; the very best self I can. And likewise, I look forward to do likewise for those I love here; for my future wife, future children, and those I will interact with for years to come.
Why did God send us here on this earth, if not to change? And how happy He will be, how He will shout for joy, when we finally return to Him, so much stronger, so much wiser, so much more loving, so much kinder, so much more righteous... so pure. So clean. So beautiful.
Another focus I have is in service. There is a beauty in service that cannot be matched. No matter what type of service, you are making someone's life better, and that is a much grander purpose than pursuing puny thrills or coarse entertainments. I feel that our final joy is an accumulation of the love and joy we feel for everything and that which is felt by others for us. So, as a simple math lesson, will you be happier when you are the only person you served, or when you serve everyone around you, whether it be dozens, hundreds, thousands, or even more? Even if you were to serve none but your spouse and children, your life will be of the purest gold.
How can we serve others? Simply put, will there life be better as a result? So yes, we are allowed to have fun in service! Our life does not need to be spent knitting quilts day in and day out (however, if you enjoy that, great for you!). Service can be and is in the form of calling a friend, supporting one in trials, playing with your children, dating your spouse, community service, helping your church, whatever it may be! A good way to tell if you are serving well is if you feel accomplished and full, and the one you serve is full of light also.
Some like myself struggle with purpose. I especially struggle, as I am currently jobless and out of school. However, I know that as we try to fill our life with purifying our character and serving all of God's children, we will not lack self-worth. We will not lack a reason to go on each day. We will feel love for others and from others, especially God. "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2: 17). So, while we may desire some large dream or life-mission, let us not forget the simple ways to fill our life with meaning.
As I continue on and try to realize my goals and mission in life, I may face a lot of questions. I may be unsure. I might mess up here and there. I am still not entirely sure what college decisions I should make, what kind of girl I want to marry, or of a lot of future situations. But I know that the future generations depend on me and my peers, and that we will not fail if we consecrate our lives to God. Sometimes I have a tendency to make things complicated and think, "My purpose cannot be that simple; there must be more." But it really is that simple! A simple life of quiet and steadfast devotion to God is all we must do, and as we strive for that, all other decisions will fall into their proper place.
God bless y'all!
Patrick
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| Elder Christofferson's address may be read here |
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