There once was a great emperor who, unlike most emperors,
was both just and merciful. He had a
very large family. As the children began
reaching adulthood, he wanted them to help him rule the empire by appointing
them kings or queens over different regions within the empire. However he didn’t want them to become tyrants
or rebels with their power. So he sent
his oldest, and most trusted son to build a university in a foreign country far
from home and who commissioned professors to both teach and test his children
when they came of age.
There were the usual subjects of math, science, literature,
technical skills, etc. But unbeknownst
to the children, he also directed the professors to provide situations where
the children could be observed interacting with the other students to test them
in regards to how they treated others when they had some power given to
them. If they proved that they could
handle power and had control of their emotions and passions, these children would
be appointed kings and queens over portions of the kingdom. Those who did not prove themselves were
appointed other tasks when they returned home and lived comfortably, but were
not given power within the empire.
You and I are those children. We are at the university (Earth) now, and
because it is so far away and we have been here so long, we don’t remember
home. We only know the university (Earth)
life. This past year in my upper class
studies I have been enrolled in a class not of my choosing called cancer. I have studied topics such as fear, self-pity,
hopelessness, pain, patience, and endurance.
I have been given riddles to solve, such as “Why should I be subjected
to this trial when I have spent my life trying to live well both temporally and
spiritually? I have served others and
learned to live by truth. Why do I now have
to suffer this pain and reduction in power and freedom?”
I have studied the best books for learning about these
topics, and I have gone to the sources of power and energy (scriptures and words
of the prophets) needed to fight the inner battles associated with these
topics. I have become aware that no
matter how hard the courses, or how difficult the lessons, there are professors
both seen and unseen (ancestors) who are watching out for us. It appears that I am about to complete this
course, though I do not know if I will be re-enrolled at some point in the
future. I do have some ribbons and
decorations, called scars, which have been awarded for, and are proof of, my
participation in these battles.
It is my hope that you and I may, with help from these
professors and the builder (Jesus) of the university (Earth), be able to build
and prove our worthiness, that each of us might be appointed a kingdom of our
own, where we may begin our own eternal families and become like our parents, the
Emperor and Empress of Heaven.
When we understand these things, it colors how, and on what,
we focus our efforts. It changes how we
feel about others and our desires. It
strengthens us in difficult times to press forward in doing what’s right, to
examine and improve ourselves, and to resist the mocking of the world. It becomes a shield and a compass to us in
the battle of life. That understanding
only comes with study, service, prayer, and time.
