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The Context of Eternity

by Autumn Dickson

One of the topics that gets covered this week is the Millennium. Life in the Millennium is going to be a little bit different than we are experiencing now. Nephi quotes the following verse about what life will be like:

2 Nephi 12:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

This verse teaches us that war will cease. People won’t be fighting anymore. They will take their weapons that have been used to destroy, and they will be turned into tools that build and cultivate instead. This has often brought me an immense amount of comfort.

Interestingly enough, I actually found a warning when I read it this time.

The warning

When I read about this verse of weapons being turned into tools, I actually thought of The Book of Mormon war heroes, Captain Moroni being one example. Captain Moroni was good at war, really good at it. He spent a good portion of his life preparing for war and fighting in wars. However, the following verse teaches us something essential about Captain Moroni.

Alma 48:11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

Captain Moroni didn’t enjoy war despite his talent with it; Captain Moroni enjoyed freedom and helping his people enjoy freedom. Why is this so important?

It’s important because when Captain Moroni arrives at the Celestial Kingdom (or if the Millennium were to have occurred in his time), he will have righteous desires that allow him to experience happiness in eternity. If he enjoyed war specifically, he would have found himself feeling rather useless and empty because a desire for war cannot be fulfilling in eternity. Maybe he could enjoy some competitive strategy board games, but that kind of joy is only going to last so long.

Captain Moroni had become the kind of man who could feel fulfilled throughout all of eternity. He lived according to his circumstances here on earth, but he changed himself according to the laws of eternity. He aligned himself with the nature that exists there rather than with the realities of mortal life that only exist for so long.

So here’s the warning. When there is no use left for our swords, will we be happy with our pruning hooks? When our “weapons” become obsolete in the Millennium or in the eternities beyond this mortal life, will we be left empty?

Understanding the nature of our swords

Maybe we are not professional soldiers in our day and age, but there are plenty of mortal desires that will not be compatible with eternal life. There will be plenty of desires that become obsolete.

What are your desires? What makes you happy? What fuels your choices? What makes your work feel worth it? The interesting thing about mortal desires (in comparison to eternal desires) is that mortal desires really can make us happy on earth; the doctrine that is essential to understand is that mortal desires expire.

I have concocted a practical process that can help us examine our desires to check ourselves; there are really only two steps.

Step 1: Make a list of things that fulfill us here in mortality

The first step in the process is to make an honest list of our desires. It is important to be as honest as possible because eventually we’re going to be faced with the truth, and it’s far more unpleasant to meet that truth on the other side. This process is also more effective when we can be kind with ourselves. Every single one of us holds desires that are not compatible with eternity. We don’t have to hate ourselves for it, and hating ourselves just makes it more difficult to be honest and progress. Heavenly Father gave us the opportunity to change ourselves so that we could learn to be strong like Him, and Christ paid for that opportunity. We have nothing to fear.

So what are your desires? It’s easy to write all of the “right” answers, but let’s look at some more leading questions. What occupies large portions of our thoughts? What is our first thought when we wake up and what do we think about before falling asleep? Where do we spend a majority of our free time? What sacrifices are we making and to what end? For example, are we sacrificing so we can provide for our family or are we sacrificing our family in the name of providing? That’s an intensely circumstantial question that may differ day to day, but it’s essential to go to the root of these desires so that we can truly examine how we’re going to feel in eternity.

Looking back over our list of desires, we can also ask questions like, “What makes me happy about this particular desire?” For example, we could write, “Making money,” but there are so many facets of money. Do we like having the freedom that often accompanies money or do we like the prestige of money? Those desires play out differently in eternity so we have to be specific.

Step 2: Place those desires in the context of eternity.

The next step is to take a look at each desire and place it into the reality of eternity.

This step is harder to ask general questions about so instead, I’m going to take one pretty common mortal desire and show what it’s like to observe it in eternity. In that way, we can apply this process to our own personal list of desires. Let’s talk about money again because it’s practical and easy to observe.

There is nothing wrong with making money, working for money, and enjoying money. Let me reiterate that Captain Moroni didn’t like war, but he understood the realities of mortal life. Money is essential, and money can provide a measure of security and happiness. Let’s not pretend that it’s not true.

But. We keep ourselves safe and happy when we keep money in perspective by recognizing the nature of eternity. What are some realities about eternity that correlate with money?

First, if we make it to the Celestial Kingdom, all that the Father has will be ours (that also means it will be everybody else’s too). And if we end up anywhere else, we’re going to still have our temporal needs filled. Our feelings about money should reflect this. Are we going to end up on the other side and wonder, “Well now what do I do?”

Second, there is no prestige over our brothers and sisters in the Celestial Kingdom. If you enjoy all the mortal prestige that stems from money, then understand that the prestige cistern will dry up quickly. You will feel empty.

Third, what did we sacrifice for it? Everyone will have to sacrifice some measure of family time to provide for family needs, but are we spending sufficient time with our families so that we are the kind of people that find deep fulfillment within our families? Because a good majority of the happiness that is available in eternity will be found in family. This is an extremely internal question. It’s not even really about how much time you’re spending; it’s about your desires once again. Some people work three jobs because they have to, but they wish they could come home to their families more. Some people just stay at work because they want money.

Placing all of our desires in the context of eternity can help us align our desires with everlasting realities. In this way, we can make sure we are capable of finding happiness in the eternities.

The key is to change

These questions and lists can seem practical, but people vary widely even within their individual circumstances on a day to day basis. You will likely find that your desires are eternally compatible one day and mortally compatible the next. The key is to nurture your eternal desires. We can enjoy our mortal situations without being left bereft in eternity, but we have to open our eyes to the true nature of things and align ourselves with the truth. As you open your eyes to the true value of things, it becomes easier to invest in the things that matter most.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

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