What's the Point?

I just finished reading the book, Where There's Hope by Elizabeth Smart and I really liked some of the topics she interviewed people about, in regards to hope.

I thought about how a lot of the people she interviewed are not LDS and still have hope. I do not believe that the LDS church has some sort of monopoly on hope or spirituality. I believe that we have answers to a lot of questions that can't be found anywhere else, but if people can still have hope without having all the answers that members of the Church have then what is the point?

On my mission I felt like sometimes the point was just to baptize people. If they could only receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and have a clean slate then they would have everything they need to make it and be happy. Then the point seemed to be getting married in the temple. Once you get married in the temple you have arrived. You have "tasted of the fruit" and there is no chance to fall away. Which we all know isn't true. So then is enduring to the end the point? Well, no. Laman and Lemuel endured to the end. They didn't endure well, but they did make it to the promised land.

And I don't think even making it to the Celestial Kingdom is the point.

I think the point, the goal, is to become like God. To become complete, to become perfected and have true joy.

Jesus Christ died for me. I could never come close to earning the grace and mercy that He offers me.

But I want to try.

I want to know Him, I want to be like Him, I want to follow Him.
Which is why I am so grateful that Joseph Smith restored the gospel, because living His gospel is the ultimate how in becoming as He is. Our covenants made through sacred ordinances bind us to Him and give us godly power.
So for me the hope of the gospel is that through our agency, repentance and Christ's Atonement we are never lost to where it is that we are meant to end up.
We can do hard things knowing that we are not alone doing them.
That is how big God's love is for each one of us.

More than anything what resonated with me were her thoughts on her religion, because I feel the exact same way and loved reading it put into words.

"At the end of the day, if all religions prove to be wrong, I won't regret believing, because it has made me a better person and had helped me live my life in such a way that I will never need to be ashamed of any part of it. I think most religions are that way: a set of beliefs that help provide hope, healing, and a meaningful way of life.

"Each one of us strives to find peace and happiness in the life, and we hope for a better future in the next. For me, my faith and my religion provide me with the peace and happiness. It's not always easy, and I have been asked how I would feel if I found out it wasn't true.

My answer is simple: It's my truth. It makes me a better person. If at the end of my life I die and find out it isn't true, I will have lived life being the best person that I can be- hopefully someone who is kind, compassionate, and patient. Knowing I will never regret my dedication to these ideals- that's what faith is for me."

"I suppose that's the definition of faith, in a way: to know, I'll live through this, even if I don't know how. So often the how comes first, and if we let it, that question can talk us out of our faith and undermine our strength."
Faith and prayer must be accompanied with patience.
"Faith isn't just what you believe in; it's how you live, how you love and how you move forward."

My faith has to be in the Lord, not in the Lord meeting my expectations.

So thank you Elizabeth, for all the reminders I needed to hear and be inspired by :)
Live a happy life- no regrets.