Purpose of Life

I was reading the lesson for Sunday School this week and it starts off by saying "We live in perilous times, and that can be troubling" ("Come, Follow Me", 2021 Manual) and that really hit me because the perilous times have really been hyped up on social media and in the news lately.

This got me to thinking how can we avoid panicking and living in fear when there is so much around us that we could be afraid of. One of the answers I received is that we keep an eternal perspective on life, and one way that we do that is by understanding our purpose in life.

Alma 34:32 states: "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life if the day for men to perform their labors."

That's our purpose in life is to prepare to meet God. And how do we prepare to meet God? Well, we learn of Him, we keep His commandments, we try our best to follow the Savior's example.

Just take a minute to think about how much better the world would be if everybody kept the 10 commandments God gave to Moses. Even those simple 10 commandments, the lesser law, would make the world such a better place. Now take a minute to think about how much better the world would be if everybody followed the 2 great commandments (Matthew 22: 37-39):

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

"This is the first and great commandment.

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

If everybody kept these commandments, we'd have a lot less calamity, a lot less violence and bloodshed, a lot less peril. And everyone would be better prepared to meet God.

So what can you do today to prepare to meet God? Learn of Him. Take some time to read the scriptures. If you don't have a copy at home, you can find a free copy here. And once you've take the time to learn of God, and learn of Christ, go out and live what they teach. Work on your faith. Repent. Be a little better each day. Show others what it means to be a follower of Christ. Spread love instead of hate. Build unity instead of contention. Help those around you, and be on the lookout for ways you can serve. Teach those around you about Christ and how He can help them in their lives.

As you do these things, you will feel a greater sense of your life's purpose. You will feel closer to your Father in Heaven and you will feel His love for you and for the people that you serve. You will notice that your troubles and worries pale in comparison to what is most important in life. You'll find yourself smiling, feeling happy, and your day will be better.

"Ye are the light of the world. ... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5: 15;17)