In our pre-earth existence we longed to receive a body in order that we may be able to become more like our Heavenly Parents and to prove ourselves worthy of returning to our Heavenly Father who created this world and all that in it is. Each person who lives on the earth today, regardless of his/her religious affiliation, political bent, skin color, economic advantage/disadvantage, national origin, familial traditions, addictions, health and physical disabilities, or any other characteristic that seems to define us, looked forward to coming to this world with a physical body. At that point in time, I think, we were not concerned with any of the fore mentioned, and we each were sure we could overcome any obstacle placed in our way as we worked to overcome them.
However, we failed to take into account the strong influence of Satan, whose whole purpose is to prevent us from returning to that being that created us, but rather to frustrate the plan Heavenly Father created for us.
Satan uses our fears, phobias, uneasiness, animal instincts, and any other tool that he can develop to cause us to stray from the Plan of Happiness.
Here are a few things that I have noted:
1. Reasons we fear death:
a. We haven't been as successful as we thought we should be.
b. We haven't been as "spiritual" as we thought we should be and we haven't repented.
c. We are afraid that our spouse/children/grandchildren/friends could not endure our absence.
2. Reasons we stray from the path Heavenly Father designed for us:
a. We are afraid our friends will make fun of us.
b. We think it is too hard.
c. We are comfortable in our addictions and/or sins.
d. We don't want others to tell us what to do. Some call this pride.
e. We are afraid that if we change we will lose our "friends".
f. We are uncomfortable with the thought that we can receive personal revelation.
g. Nobody likes us.
I'd like to address these things.
First the fear of death.
Every person born will eventually experience death. Will it be painful? Maybe. But regardless of how it happens, it will happen eventually to each of us. It doesn't matter if we are wealthy or poor, popular or ignored, famous or infamous. Each of us will die. Some of us are anxious to die and chose to select the date and manner of death because of the fears noted above.
Life is precious. It is precious because it is a step in our eternal progression. The Lord said to Moses:
"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39)
This goal that Heavenly Father has set requires that men (and women) obtain physical bodies, learn how to manage physical things, learn to be righteous before any of his ultimate goal can be reached. So life IS precious. Preventing life is working against His plan and complements Satan's plan.
That having been said, death should not be feared. If I passed away today, my death would affect many in my sphere of life and cause pain of separation, but it would only be a step in my own eternal progression. I hope that I am living my life in such a way that this change would be positive. So in the same way that LIFE is precious and should not be prevented, so also is DEATH precious, but it should not be hurried artificially.
Secondly
In order to live a spiritually successful life we must take into consideration the fears mentioned above. We should not worry what our so-called friends think if we are working to improve our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It is not they who determine our status upon our death. It is not easy, but as we learn how to live in accordance with Heavenly Father's plan it becomes easier because we receive assistance from the Holy Ghost. As we work to become closer to our Heavenly Father, our addictions become easier to discard and we are more capable of repenting of those sins we have accumulated. As we come closer to Heavenly Father, we learn that those who give us guidance are not simply "telling us what to do", but are giving us suggestions as to how we can improve our station in eternal life. If we lose "friends" because of righteous choices we make they are not really the friends that will help us or others to accomplish our eternal goal. As we do all of these things, personal revelation will attend us. Marvelous miracles will be manifested and we will be amazed by the things we learn. Others will seek us out because of our change in attitude regarding life and eternal progression. Our circle of true friends will increase. Service to others will be comfortable.
Comments are welcome as long as they are respectful.
