Education IN Eternity

I was asked to give a talk on Education IN Eternity and here it is:

Education in Eternity-When I was asked to talk on this subject I wrote back to Brother Orton saying that I thought it sounded pretty deep…And he replied, “you will do great!”  Always so positive Brother Orton you are a good example to all of us!

I have learned that what we learn on this earth we take with us into eternity.  But I thought…how am I going to fill up my time on that?  We already know this!

 

I thought okay I will Google it, no big deal…NOTHING!  Shocked me!  No topics on Education IN Eternity…I thought maybe I should really think about this and write a book!  :o)

When I was young my dad would always watch the “math channel”  or some scientific program… and I wanted to watch Oprah or Saved By the Bell…  But as I get older I find myself wanting more knowledge in how our earth was created…I love geology!  I find myself watching math videos on Youtube!  The older I get the more I want to learn!  I am thankful that I have Google because if I want to know how to do something I know I can find it there (other than this topic…).

  

I have been riding the bus to work for 2 months now and it has given me time to just sit and relax to ponder and meditate and to read my scriptures (which I have NOT been good at doing previously…).  And immediately at the very point when I decided to read the scriptures again, and pray before I do it, I have received personal revelation!  I LOVE having the feeling of the spirit again in my life.  He has been there, but I haven’t been there…if you know what I mean.  So on this topic I felt the spirit tell me to google education.  Yes the spirit told me to google something haha!  And so I did and this is what I found.

What is education?

Per Wikipedia it says:

"Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next.  Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts.  In its narrow, technical sense, education is the formal process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation to another."

 

Well that makes me think of the scriptures!  We are reading our ancestors stories!  Their thoughts and feelings.  I was reading one of the smaller books in the Book of Mormon and it was brothers passing the plates to each other to record their lives and each one shared their heritage and what was going on at that time.  The scriptures tell us what to think, feel, and act by their examples.  What we need to learn from our ancestors for our futures.  We need to educate ourselves in the scriptures.  If you ask for missionary experiences you better be prepared by knowing the scriptures and having the spirit with you.  Because otherwise you may miss out on that missionary experience that is right under your nose.  Or, you will be put in a very uncomfortable position!  I know I have experienced both.  I have heard we will continue to be missionaries in heaven; that we will teach those that have not learned what they needed to know on this Earth before they died.  So prepare yourselves and your children. 

There is a video that I saw on a friend’s profile and it spoke volumes to me and made me cry.  The speaker has the sweetest most tender voice and you KNOW he loves everyone!  I want to read what he said in a talk he gave in 1996.

Elder F. Enzio Busche

Quorum of the Seventy

BYU Devotional

14 May 1996

"I want to share with you a vehicle, an instrument, that I developed some time ago for myself and for my family.  It can assist us to reach our focus as we read the suggested vision of true discipleship as a Latter-day Saint.

It helps when from time to time, we ponder and seek identification with the following thoughts:

Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome.  No matter how it looks.

The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by Him.

And nothing is impossible for you.

When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God. 

In your life there have to be challenges.  They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you.  But you make the decision of which road you take.

First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God.

If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness.

Don’t permit anything to detract you from this awareness.

You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man.

And have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ.

Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope.

Light will flow into your soul.

Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane.  In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his church.

God knows that you are not perfect.   As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.  God knows better than you what you need.

He always attempts to speak to you.

Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us—everything will fall into its place."

(that is the one thing that I haven't done in a long time and this last month I have listened and I have accomplished some of the things I have been told to do by the spirit and it feels AMAZING!)

"Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.

When you cannot love someone, look into that person’s eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.

Never judge anyone.  When you accept this, you will be freed.

In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.

If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.

Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts.  If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm.

On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.

Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words.

Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet.  Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.

 Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do, do with all your heart, might, and strength.  In thoroughness is satisfaction.

You want to be good and do good?  That is commendable.  But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost.  Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do.

The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment.  It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.

Be grateful for every opportunity to serve.  It helps you more than those you serve.

(I LOVED this book!)

And finally, When you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now.  But know also that as you are learning this lesson.  God wants to give you something better.   

Thus, we prepare all the days of our lives, and, as we grow, death loses its sting, hell loses its power, and we look forward to that day with anticipation of joy when he will come in his glory."

 

I fully agree with Elder Busche and I appreciated his words!  They were what I needed to hear to learn to do my best.  To not fear.  And to look forward to that day when we will all be reunited together in heaven.  

I don’t believe education is just schooling.  We are living our education now.  What we do is what we will pass on to our generations, and we will carry it on into eternity.  So we need to change our lives now and get on the right track, if we are not doing those things we need to.  I know it is something I need to be doing and will probably ALWAYS be doing.  

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.