Sunday, November 11, 2018

The Temporary and the Eternal

Something that's been on my mind lately is how temporary most of mortality is. Most things end. Most callings are temporary. All trials are. Many of the situations we find ourselves in are temporary. In fact, even mortality itself is temporary.

There are many lessons we can draw from this fact. The first is that, if you are experiencing trials, take heart. Your trials will not last forever. Your trials, however long and painful, will eventually end. You will find relief.

The second is to not get too attached to anything temporary. Some people set their hearts on worldly goods or build their identities on their social status, but these things don't last. I suppose one can get attached to their bodies, but even then, one shouldn't get too attached to any particular physical characteristics because one never knows how much one's resurrection might change.

The third lesson is drawn from the exceptions. Most things in life are temporary, but the best things aren't. Our family relationships are eternal. Our minds and hearts (and all that they contain) also come with us into the afterlife. These are the things that we can set our hearts on and get attached to. These are the things that matter. These are the things that are certain to endure, even when just about everything else comes to an end.

Mortality is mostly compose of things that are temporary.  Our trials, possessions, and social conditions won't be part of our lives forever. When our mortal lives are over, only a few, eternal aspects would remain. These are the things on which we should focus our attention. Our families and our testimonies are among the few things that truly last. Most things in life are temporary, so it's important to focus instead on the few things that last forever.

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