Like Father, Like Son

One of my favorite pieces of deep doctrine is "as man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be," not just because it tells us of our great potential, but also because it sort of humanizes God. He's not just an all-powerful super-being who lives on some cloud far across the cosmos. He is our (Heavenly) Father, who remembers what it was like to be human.

I don't mean to demean God by saying this. He has my respect, if only because He has attained perfection, which seems an impossible goal to me. I know that God is great, but it's also good to know that He can be a great friend. He's not much different from us, really - He's just a bit farther down the road than we are. But knowing that we're "cut from the same cloth," so to speak, helps me to understand His nature and improve my relationship with Him.

It's also, in large part, the same reason I like Jesus so much. Not only do I owe Him one (A BIG one!), but I also admire His strength, and by strength, I mean strength of will. He faced the same temptations we do, but He resisted them. He faced greater hardships than many of us do, but He persevered. He was as human as the rest of us, yet He was perfect. He proved that it was possible for us to succeed, and then He taught us how to succeed, and made it possible for us to overcome the mistakes we would almost inevitably make.

Jesus set the example for us, which would be pointless if we were incapable of following that example. But we can follow it. We can follow Him. And by doing so, we can end up where He is, as He is.

President Lorenzo Snow taught the truth I quoted above. He also wrote a poem with a similar message. I'd like to quote the whole poem, but I can't find it, and I don't have time to keep searching - I need to get to Institute. But here's the portion I have:

The boy, like to his father grown,
Has but attained unto his own;
To grow to sire from state of son,
Is not ’gainst Nature’s course to run. 

A son of God, like God to be,
Would not be robbing Deity. 

(As cited in LeRoi C. Snow, p. 661.)

(LeRoi C. Snow was President Snow's son. Apparently, he wrote a book.)

I like that poem (what little I have), especially that last couplet. "A son of God, like God to be..." To think that becoming like God is not only our potential, but the purpose of our existence, is truly inspiring. But, before we can become like Him in majesty and power, we need to become like Him in wisdom and righteousness. It's difficult, but it's a goal worth striving for, especially now that we know that it's possible, and what the end result will be.