The Way

We lived as spirits with our Heavenly Father before we were born in the pre-mortal existence. During this time there was a great war in heaven, as many authors and others have depicted, in which Satan proposed a plan and Jesus Christ supported Heavenly Father's plan for our mortal life. Satan claimed his plan would bring 100% of God's children back to Him because we would all be forced to do good and not sin. We would not have the freedom of choice, called agency, so it would be impossible for us to do wrong. Satan desired to bring glory and power upon himself through this plan, instead of praising Heavenly Father and trying to serve Him. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, supported His Father's plan of salvation for humanity. In this plan, we would come to Earth to gain a body, grow, learn, struggle, and make our own decisions. We would experience temptation and inevitably fall to sin at some points because of our imperfection. This mortal life would be "the time for men to prepare to meet God" by following the gospel that Jesus Christ set forth (Alma 34:32). We have the agency to make decisions, and we are accountable for the consequences of them. Heavenly Father knew that we would not always choose righteously, but through His Son Jesus Christ, we can repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure life's struggles and trials faithfully. In this manner, we are gradually perfected and become more and more like God. While Satan's plan promotes short-term pleasure and long-term misery, Heavenly Father allotted for us to experience short-term struggles and weakness on the Earth, in order to attain long-lasting, eternal happiness with Him. I know that all of us on this Earth chose God's plan in heaven, and that at some point in our existence we wanted nothing more than to serve and love Him. Through the plan of salvation, the Atonement, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father forever with our families.