Even if you don't currently believe in a Divine Being, a loving Father who resides in a dimension called Heaven that we cannot fully comprehend in our mortal minds; imagine that such exists and that we are not here on this earth by chance.
The following is an analogy of how and who we are on this earth in relation to our Heavenly Father, a little bit about our pre-mortal existence, as well as our post-earthly life. We can then begin to relate to our life as a journey, where we catch glimpses of our existence before mortality, and of the hereafter.
Think of these trips and travels in relation to your life. Imagine leaving home on an extended trip as to how it can be related to our journey here in mortality. We have heard about mortality from many others the same way we hear about visiting travel destinations. We plan extensively, though we really don't know all the things, both good and bad, that will happen to us on our journey.
We have happy times and we have trials. Some are anticipated and some are totally unexpected. We think of the places that we will visit, and the grand scenes that will unfold before us; great vistas of this beautiful earth, as well as the rough spots in between.
When we finally leave home, we know that the journey may be of a longer duration than expected, or it may be cut short for unexpected reasons. We forge ahead hoping for the best. There are milestones that we reach, occasions to celebrate and time to stop and reflect.
As we journey forward, storms may arise that are totally unexpected, but we have prepared and know that these, too, will pass. Once the rough times are complete, we look for the beauty of the new day and the freshness of the aftermath, though there may also be some things that need to be cleaned up as well.
We also heed the warnings of future trouble. From our experiences of past storms, we see the warning signs ourselves. We know what to avoid to keep safe. We seek advise from fellow travelers, others who have gone down the same road. We also listen to the warnings of those who are trained to watch for and alert us to danger. We want to know if the road is smooth and the outlook is fair.
Sometimes we ignore the advise and do not heed the warnings and get into more serious trouble than we need to be. Other times, we listen with great intent and 'hunker down' and may not even realize the dangers that we avoid, yet we are safe.
- Leaving home is Birth
- We can communicate home through Prayer
- We can receive direction/warnings from others - family, teachers, the scriptures, religious leaders, modern-day prophets.
- We can receive direct communication and direction ourselves through personal revelation
- If we follow the rules and heed the warnings, we receive the benefits and enjoy the journey despite the hardships. We are protected.
- We eventually return home to find family and loved ones waiting anxiously for us
