We were with God before coming to Earth

A question that I have been pondering this week has been, "Why does it matter that we lived with God before we came to this earth?" Someone we were talking to said he believed we did not exist before, but that we came into existance when we were born, and at that moment God breathed life into us. Now this was something I never thought before, so I wondered why is  knowing we did exist with God before coming to Earth so important? The answer came gradually over this week and then during relief society this Sunday, just exploded in my mind with understanding. This is what I learned, knowing where we came from, helps us to know where we need to go. It helps us to recognize our own personal potential, and it gives us the drive to become greater.

    I came up with this real life comparison. We are like princes and princesses, we know that one day we will inherit all that our father, the king, has to give us. With this knowledge, different things are expected of us. We must learn and grow in understanding and compassion, and we honor the responsibility we have. We can't just go around having parties and not caring about consequences, because we are ALL royalty. 

   The most popular hymn that we sing, is "I am A Child of God".  We all know this, but do we accept it?  When we recognize and truly understand that we are children of God, children of the King, our views are expanded, confidence lifted and desire strengthened.  Understanding that we lived with God before, helps us to understand that he knows us, he loves us, and he will ALWAYS be there to "lead us", "guide us", and "walk beside us", so that we all are able "to find the way." And that is exactly the message of hope we share as missionaries, that there is a way, and it has been prepared by our Savior Jesus Christ, and that as we follow him and his teachings,  one day we may be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again!:)

~ With Bunches of Love,

 Sister Jordan

For any of you who want to read the rest of this AMAZING talk, here is the link, enjoy! 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/do-i-believe?lang=eng

Do I Believe? - By Bonnie L. Oscarson - The Church of ... www.lds.org

From Sister Leela Jordan:

This was the week of spirit filled studies, interesting conversations and wonderful inspiration! It all started last Wednesday in our district meeting where we were taught about the importance of hope and the need to set faith building goals. Our district leader had us look up faith in the Topical Guide, when we got there all it said was "(see objectives;perfection)" We were like oh, we see what you did there. Goal setting  displays our faith in Heavenly Father and his will for us and help us to become more perfect. So Sister Murphy and I set some faith stretching goals, and the results were interesting. We set our goals with the intent to find more prepared people to teach, but that was not exactly what happened. We met quite a few people this week who were concerned for the eternal salvation of our souls and were essentially trying to convince us what we believed was not true. These conversations caused be to take a step back and really ponder about what I was teaching, to really think. I knew these things, but did I believe them? In my studies, I came across a wonderfully perfect conference talk by Sister Oscarson, who put perfectly the message we share as missionaries. Then, I took a moment to ponder these principles, and even before I could utter a prayer, I felt the Spirit rush over me!! Yes, I believed these things!!!  

(1) "We believe that, through a prophet and the power of God, we have received additional scriptures, adding to the testimony of that in the Bible declaring that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world".

(2) "We claim that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God and the only true Church on the earth. It is called the Church of Jesus Christ because He stands at the head; it is His Church, and all these things are possible because of His atoning sacrifice.

 

And, I believed so much more!!  I know: that the same Church Jesus Christ established while on this earth has been restored once again by a prophet called of God in our time, and that our leaders hold the same power and authority to act in God's name that ancient Apostles held. I also know that it this priesthood power makes it possible to make covenants and receive ordinances in holy temples that will someday enable us to return to the presence of God and live with Him forever.  Most importantly, I know that the earnest seeker of truth can come to know the truthfulness of these things for themselves personally, as they ask our Heavenly Father in sincere prayer, who "giveth to all men liberally and upbraidth not!"

~ With Bunches of Love,

 Sister Jordan