Hell - The Place of Regret

There were a lot of good talks given yesterday, all of which are worth reviewing when they become available on LDS.org, but one of the best messages I heard yesterday will never appear on the church's website because it wasn't given at General Conference. In fact, I'm finding it hard to blog about because I don't want to say too much. Perhaps, rather than relating the experience, I'll just tell you what I learned.

There are consequences for wrong actions. When we do things we're not supposed to do, we sometimes miss out on blessings that Heavenly Father may otherwise have given us. When we see others enjoy the blessings that we, had we been wiser, could have enjoyed with them, we begin to experience deep regret.

I've heard at least one person describe Hell as a place of great regret. Some describe Hell as a place of fire and brimstone, where damned souls are tortured for eternity, but I don't think it's actually like that. I don't think God would allow anyone, not even the devil, to torture any soul for eternity. I think that if there's any torture going on in Hell, the damned souls are doing it to themselves.

We are the spirit children of God. He has planted in us the potential and desire to rise up to heaven and behave, if not become, like Him. We were each destined for such incredible greatness, we can't even imagine it. But once we've passed on, the veil will be removed from our minds. We'll remember what God is really like - what we could be like. And the righteous will behold the fruits of their labors and rejoice.

But those who were wicked in life will groan within themselves and lament, "If only I had done better. If only I had lived up to my potential." Their deep feelings of regret will be the suffering and the torment that Hell is known for. To know that we are unworthy to stand in the presence of God, when we could have enjoyed that blessing and so much more if we had been more righteous, would be very painful.

So, the speaker reminded us to think about the consequences of our actions, and to avoid doing things that we'll later regret. Satan tries to tell us that the are no consequences, but there are. God keeps His choicest blessings in reserve for those who follow Him, and if we find that we're not included in that group, we'll regret having chosen whatever we had chosen instead. So, for our own sakes, we need to remember to be righteous, and to try to avoid doing things we'll later regret.