Love Life

The other day, my brother in law, Jon, texted me and said: "I think we are more incredible than we could ever imagine and that's why the veil had to be placed. To protect us from ourselves."
Ever since he brought up this point, it has been churning inside my brain. Now, Jon is one of those people who make you think deep. He will ask a question so profound you wonder where in his 18 year old mind he could fathom such a thought.
But, as we know, each of us are spirits, that have been placed inside mortal bodies to be tried and tested individually. We are also here to learn and grow. Our spirits consist of intelligence. And what is intelligence? It is knowledge from the beginning of time, stored up and gathered together. So, we are literally made up of pure intelligence. So, why do we have to gain knowledge if we already have it?
I think Jon's quote hit it on the head. We are more incredible, and have more knowledge than we realize. That is why when we learn something, it is more like remembering. The veil was placed, and so we forgot who we are and where we came from. If only we comprehended that we are sons and daughters of a God and King. Would that change our perspective of each other and the life we are living? Would we be willing to open our minds to more challenging things, and push ourselves harder? And are we here to remember who we are? And what we are capable of?
Right now I am a Beehive Advisor with the young women, and as such, I teach lessons. This week's lesson was on Using our Leisure Time Wisely. I had each of the young women add up the hours in their weeks and see how many hours of "free time" they had. Some had more than others, but the average was around 17 hours a week. The high amount of hours surprised me, because I made them take into account school, homework, sleep, eating, chores, and other things they had to participate in. So, with this amount of time, I asked them what they did. Most of them said watch movies, TV, look through magazines, talk on the phone, and stuff like that. In the lesson, it called these activities as "passive", and encouraged the girls to do things more active. Some of the activities listed were, reading, playing a musical instrument, writing in journal, doing family history work, spending time with family and friends doing wholesome recreational activities, and so forth. It also touched on how it is important to be well-rounded, and participate in a wide range of activities, not just one or two. As we do this, it helps us learn, grow, and stay healthy. In other words, we need to stop wasting time. "Time is a wise man's treasure", the lesson taught. In the world we live in, we have several time saving things like, dishwashers, clothes washer, cars, microwaves, fast-food restaurants, etc. So, what do we do with all this extra time? And do we use it wisely?
While teaching this lesson, it made me reanalyze my life. I participate in the same activities over and over. I have a routine, and usually don't step too far out of my comfort zone. But, with this lesson, it showed me that I need to do more and push harder. We are all very talented, and we can develop more talents if we are willing to stretch our souls.
With that, I love the quote: "We are not mortal bodies having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual bodies having a mortal experience." Lets make this mortal experience a good one!
As our spirits leave our bodies and return to the spirit world, what are we taking with us? If it really is only knowledge and memories, why not make them some great ones? Maybe we can keep that in mind as we go throughout this week. Let us try something new, and step outside of our comfort zones. Who knows, it may change our lives.
And, thanks Jon for the wonderful insight you share with me! I will be forever grateful for your inspiration.