Long ago, before the world was, we met with our Father in Heaven to discuss a plan. The plan would send us to earth, allow us to live mortal lives, and prepare us to live for the eternities with our Heavenly Father once this mortal life was complete.

We all agreed to this plan despite the knowledge that this life would be difficult. There would be trials, pain, sadness and grief but there would also be joy, happiness, and love.  We knew the plan as a plan of happiness and knew that our time on earth would be limited.

Our Father saw that this plan was right and we fought for the opportunity to come to this earth regardless of the risk.  We knew the conditions in which we would live but we made the conscious choice to come here knowing more importantly what awaited us afterwards.

Though times can be tough, pain severe, and sadness, loss and grief extreme, the joy we will know in the life to come, and can taste even in this life, makes the journey worth any cost.

We come here to learn to live a perfect life, a celestial life.  While it’s not possible to actually succeed in living the celestial standard at all times while in this life we should continually work as though it is.  We need to be prepared such that, when our time is up here, we’re ready to continue our journey beyond the bounds of mortal life.

We come to this earth in families.  Family bonds can and do continue throughout the eternities and this too is part of the Lord’s plan.  Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters go on and the relationships continue.  The Lord’s plan is for us to build family connections that will extend throughout the eternities.

Though sadness and challenges, small and great, confront us regularly, the ultimate victory goes to happiness and joy.  The endgame has already been written.