The prophets, ancient and modern, are clear that this life
is a very artificial thing. The earth
and this mortality did not just happen.
They were carefully planned in the sphere of the eternities, for very specific—and
lasting—purposes.
Abraham reported this, from a vision wherein he saw God
speaking of us, His spirit children, before He created the earth:
We will go down, for there is space
there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon
these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all
things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; and they who keep
their first estate shall be added upon; . . . and they who keep their second
estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Abraham
3:24-26)
Some centuries later Moses had a related vision, in which
the Lord told him,
For behold, this is my work and my
glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)
Our glory appears to be the Lord’s glory. It is the Lord’s work and glory that we grow
and progress forever. The mortal mission
and sacrifice of Jesus Christ were all part of His work for our immortality and
eternal life. I am not sure that the
Lord cares anything at all about anything we do other than what we do that
affects His work and His glory. I do not
find any evidence in the scriptures that anything else that we do matters to
Him. Of course, in an eternal context,
nothing else we do really matters to us, either. All of that other stuff is what the author of
Ecclesiastes refers to as “vanity of vanities” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
That vanity, the key theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes, is
what many people seem to think that this life is all about. Many people live this life as if this life
really mattered much, when in truth, all that matters about this life is how it
affects the true reality, which resides in the eternal worlds, beyond this
world and life. Lasting value and
meaning are found in what we take with us when we leave this world.
That is a good filter, if we wish to discern what in this
life is imperishable and real and what is temporary and vain. If you take it with you past the grave, it
matters. If it does not, fuhgeddaboudit. Or, at least, do not set your heart on it or
waste much time with it.
That might be a good guide for Christmas gifts. By that I mean, consider the purpose behind
the giving of the gift. Is its purpose
to transfer possession of vanity, that has no reach beyond the grave? Or is it instead intended to communicate and
strengthen ties of love, friendship, to show kindness, to build relationships,
to facilitate personal growth and progress, to memorialize pleasant shared
experiences, to express and transmit value?
Consider how it may be tied to this list of eternal verities that stay with
us?
Remember faith, virtue, knowledge,
temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility,
diligence. (Doctrine and Covenants 4:6)
There is a lot of Christmas Spirit in that list. Such solemnized gifts are not likely to break
and never grow old. They are very real. To the extent they embrace such virtues, I
think we remember them.
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