In the book "The Holy Temple" by Boyd K. Packer, it says this:
"When a contractor is to construct a building, he has beforehand...the plans and specifications. It is common procedure for these to be complete in great detail. They show the elevation...to indicate how it will appear from the front, and the sides, and the back...He can then see how the architect envisions the building will look when it is completed. The plans are carefully and minutely drawn, with details included...for electrical outlets, parts of the plumbing and heating systems, etc...This is not so with prophets."
Using the contrast of construction, President Packer is illustrating the principle of "line upon line, precept upon precept." The Lord alone holds all the plans for the details of salvation. We, however, cannot even begin to comprehend such a big picture, especially all at once. So instead, the Lord gives it to us in ways that allow us to grow in understanding.
The way I read it brought to mind a treasure hunt- not the kind with pirate maps, but the kind that I set up as a kid. Each clue (usually written on a sticky note) led to the next clue, which led to the next, and so on. As kids, my siblings and I loved to have treasure hunts, especially for our parents' birthday presents. We'd set up the clues, and most likely, we'd wrapped the first one to give to mom or dad. Then we'd all run throughout the house, following the clues until we reached the end of the line. My parents did this to me for one birthday. It was always a lot of fun, especially because we knew what lay at the end.
For visiting teaching this month, my companion and I shared a message from Elder Pino's conference talk. It's titled "The Eternal Perspective of the Gospel." He quotes President Kimball saying "If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective." The message of eternal perspective is an important one, especially when we understand the nature of our lives.
A long treasure hunt would surely be very frustrating if we did not understand the end of it. Surely we would get distracted and forget about the clues to go play other games. But the gifts at the end of the hunt are often the greatest, and the people you hunt with will make that time into wonderful memories. These are things we cannot understand without eternal perspective. We have to know first of all what the nature of a treasure hunt is, and that the work is worth it for the ending. Then we must follow the clues, line upon line and precept upon precept, until we reach the final goal. And, in addition to the classic treasure hunt, the gospel also expands our minds and teaches us eternal truths. Each "clue" builds upon the one before it, helping reveal the end.
Life is a treasure hunt, and eternity is the goal. This plan of salvation is so beautiful, and its nature so wonderful to us, allowing us to create joy and memories while learning about our goal. My challenge to you is to keep that in mind this week, and perhaps to share it with someone else.
Happy hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment