If you've been to Disneyland, you may recognize this sign. The ride is iconic. You're in the dark the whole time, you can barely see a thing. It bumps, shakes, dives, turns, and rocks you all over the place. The whole time you're (or someone else) screaming your head off, horrified you're going to lose a limb, or fall out, or something drastic. It can be a scary ride for some! Most of the time people get off, and think "WOW THAT WAS SO FUN!" and run back in line to get back on the ride!
My friend Shelby and I went to breakfast and then went on a hike, and we realized that life in mortality is like being born on Space Mountain! It's dark, we don't know when the ride will end, we can't see super far in front of us (unless someone turns on the lights), there's bumps, and jerks, and twists and turns, and flashing lights, and people screaming, and it can be a bit much at times!
Not remembering what we signed up for, and the bumps ahead can be quite distressing! But here's the good news. We can turn on the lights. Well, God can turn on the lights for us, if we ask him to and if we let him.
You see, before we came to mortality, we agreed to certain bumps, jerks, twists and turns! Neal A Maxwell sums up the ideas of our mortal experiences reflecting our decisions as spirits before earth beautifully. (You can read the talk here)
In some ways, our second estate, in relationship to our first estate, is like agreeing in advance to surgery. Then the anesthetic of forgetfulness settles in upon us. Just as doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient in the midst of authorized surgery to ask him again if the surgery should be continued, so, after divine tutoring, we agreed once to come here and to submit ourselves to certain experiences and have no occasion to revoke that decision.
God has a plan for each and every one of us. An individual plan of salvation, and exaltation. He knows the bumps and bruises we're going to take, because he knows us perfectly. He's seen us grow and interact for billions of aeons! To quote Elder Maxwell again
It does no violence even to our frail human logic to observe that there cannot be a grand plan of salvation for all mankind, unless there is also a plan for each individual. The salvational sum will reflect all its parts. Once the believer acknowledges that the past, present, and future are before God simultaneously—even though we do not understand how—then the doctrine of foreordination may be seen somewhat more clearly. For instance, it was necessary for God to know how the economic difficulties and crop failures of the Joseph Smith, Senior, family in New England would move this special family to Cumorah country where the Book of Mormon plates were buried. God's plans could scarcely have so unfolded if—willy-nilly—the Smiths had been born Manchurians and if, meanwhile, the plates had been buried in Belgium!
By turning to the great physician for the prescription, our bumps and bruises, and broken bones and broken hearts can turn to anchors and pillars of strength and power. As Jesus said “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26 ESV)
I love this so much.
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