Sunday June 7, 2015: The Eternal Perspective of the Gospel

Sunday's lesson was taught by Jo Anne S. using: "The Eternal Perspective of the Gospel" by Elder Rafael E. Pino from the April General Conference Sunday Afternoon Session​

Jo Anne began the lesson by discussing the worth of Gold 

"Perspective is the way we see things when we look at them from a certain distance, and it allows us to appreciate their true value."

Sometimes we need to step back to get better perspective.  

"Let me share another experience. In our home our children liked to do jigsaw puzzles. We have probably all had the opportunity to do a puzzle. Some are made up of many small pieces. I remember that one of our children (I won’t give his name in order to protect his identity) used to focus on the individual pieces, and when one did not fit in the place where he thought it should, he would become angry and assume it was no good and want to throw it away. He finally learned to do the puzzle when he understood that each small piece had its place in the final picture, even when he did not know where it fit at a given moment."

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “Though ‘anchored’ in grand and ultimate hope, some of our tactical hopes are another matter. We may hope for a pay raise, a special date, an electoral victory, or for a bigger house—things which may or may not be realized. Faith in Father’s plan gives us endurance even amid the wreckage of such proximate hopes. Hope keeps us ‘anxiously engaged’ in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes (see D&C 58:27).”^3"

"The Book of Mormon mentions the attitude that Nephi took and the attitude of Laman and Lemuel. They had all suffered much difficulty and numerous afflictions; however, their attitudes toward them were very different. Nephi said, “And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.”^4"

"Laman and Lemuel, on the other hand, complained bitterly. “And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.”⁵ Not knowing or disregarding “the dealings of … God” is one way of losing eternal perspective, and murmuring is just one of the symptoms. Even though Laman and Lemuel witnessed many miracles along with Nephi, they exclaimed, saying: “And we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.”^6" 

"President Spencer W. Kimball wrote the following: “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.”

If we Keep eternal perspective , we will find peace and joy in life.