Family Home Evening: Plan of Salvation
This past week in Sunday school classes for the youth we discussed the Plan of Salvation. It reminded me of an important family home evening my family had when I was a boy.
I was about 14 years old, and was just getting old enough to start understanding some things, but still young enough to listen. My father was teaching us the Plan of Salvation with the similar circles and stick figures that we typically see. When he was done he asked me what I thought about the whole thing. I replied that I would probably end up in the Terrestrial Kingdom.
He asked why I thought that and I replied that I didn’t think I could ever be good enough to be in the Celestial Kingdom, but was probably not bad enough to end up in the Telestial. He took a few moments to teach me a few things. During this he referred to a scripture in the D&C. I do not remember for certain but I believe it was this one:
And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved. (D&C 18:22)
That night my father convinced a simple young man who was struggling with some self-esteem issues that he could return to live with God. That eternal life was well within my reach. I believe this was one of the shining moments of my father’s life, and may have made an eternal difference in mine.
To anyone who might read this simple blog, I hope you can feel that eternal life is within your reach. I am certain that it is. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can inherit all that the Father hath. If I don’t meet you before, perhaps we can meet there. I look forward with hope to that time.
posted by Eric Nielson @ 12:10 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Amen, Eric. I think feelings of inadequecy are often a result of our mortal condition. It's hard to feel like celestial material in our current fallen state.
It's sometimes even tempting to say, "I'm not Celestial material" to excuse invaliant behavior.
Eric, it is nice to know that I had such an influence on you at that "shining moment." In fact, it is nice to know that as a father I had at least one such moment. If you had feelings of inadequacy as a son, I had, and still have, those same feelings as a father. I have believed for a long time that all of us can gain eternal life if we have faith, repent, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost and endure to the end. Some other good scriptures on this point are: 2 Nephi 31:17-20(we should have a "Perfect brightness of hope" not a dim hope); 3 Nephi 27:14-22.
My feelings of inadequacy were not that I had no chance of eternal life in the celestial kingdom but that I was not a very good father. I know these two feelings are inconsistent: if one is not a good father, how can one be confident of salvation? So it is nice to know that you thought I got some things right!
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