We talk about this life being a test a lot. Which I think
can get confusing and sound punitive and different than God’s real intention
and plan. A test is usually used to determine a level of accomplishment,
something to be measured against to determine where you are. But God doesn’t
need to determine how good or obedient we are, He already knows. It makes the
idea of test confusing to me. Alma says that it is a time given to us to
repent, but that only makes sense once we have sinned. Does that mean we were
sent here to sin? We all, do, and God knew we
all would. It feels like a failure when we do. But, similarly to the necessity
of Adam and Eve’s transgression, maybe it really is the point of why we are.
Because we couldn’t know the sweet without the bitter. We can’t fully choose
God without ever having experienced being without Him. It casts the experience
of mistakes, my own and the people around me, in a totally different light.
Sometimes it feels like everything depends on nothing going wrong, but maybe everything
really depends on stuff going wrong. How can I remember than when I am so
frustrated with myself? Or with my family? It must be part of always
remembering Him to be able to view mistakes always in light of the atonement.
The cherubim and flaming sword to guard the tree of life is
mysterious to me. First of all, what do those really mean? And is the tree of
life still on the earth? It seems like the Garden of Eden, where it was located,
is not, so once they were cast out why did it need to be guarded? Was it an actual
fruit you could eat and live forever? And why is death important to our
salvation? What would have changed if Adam and Eve had eaten it?
The way Alma talks about how they would have been immediately
and forever miserable without the atonement reminds me of The Need for a Savior movie the church
put out this Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment