God Knows What's Best

This week in my New Testament class we have been talking about the suffering, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learned about all the physical pains that He had to feel for our sake and the torture inflicted upon Him. This physical suffering was essential so that Jesus could know personally all of the pains that mankind feels. But to me what is even more touching is the mental and spiritual torture and suffering that He was called to endure. We know that Jesus has felt all of our sorrows, grief, pain, afflictions, and remorse (see Alma 7:11-13). He knows what it feels like to be rejected, wrongfully judged, guilty, and distant from the Spirit. As part of His sacrifice for us, He had to not only overcome physical death, but also spiritual death. Spiritual death is basically the complete separation of a spirit from Heavenly Father's presence and Spirit. Because we live on Earth, all of us are separated from the presence of God. We can feel glimpses of it through the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. But, for us to be able to return to the presence of the Father, Christ had to overcome this spiritual death. In Matthew 27, we read about the Crucifixion and death of Christ. In these moments of extensive physical pain and suffering, Jesus was required to overcome it alone. The Father had to withdraw His Spirit so that Jesus could feel and overcome a complete spiritual death. In verse 46, Jesus cries out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Even the Son of God, the Savior of the world, questioned the Lord's will a few times. However, He never forsake it and was perfectly obedient and trusting that the Father knew best.

Like the Savior, we too must trust in God's will. It is OK to have doubts, fears, uncertainties, and questions. Don't keep them to yourself! The Lord wants us to have questions and seek the answers to them. He wants us to learn and gain a testimony for ourselves. Sometimes in the search for guidance and answers we may feel like we aren't getting anything in response. We may feel abandoned, hopeless, and confused. We may wonder if the Lord is really even there, if He really cares, or if He will ever answer our questions. There are some things in this world that will take us a long time to understand; there are others that we will never understand in this life. I testify that although sometimes we may feel distant from the Lord, He truly has our best interests in mind and will never let us fail without first offering us help. Sometimes He is silent in answering our pleadings not because He doesn't love us or care about our concern, but because He wants us to grow from making our own choices and using our agency. It's like learning to ride a bike. When a father teaches his child to ride, he lets go once the child becomes comfortable and strong enough to pedal on her own. This is not because he doesn't care about protecting his child. He knows that she can do it on her own, and that if she does begin to wobble and fall he can always swoop in to catch her. I know from personal experience that the Lord loves us and knows what we most need to grow and develop. I know that sometimes this requires Him to pull back a little and let us "ride" on our own. He loves us so much that He lets us have our agency. He does not want us to be His "robots" whom He controls ; He wants us to become self-sufficient and capable.

Coming unto God

This week in our New Testament class, we are reading and discussing about Jesus' last few days here on Earth. We are learning about the injustices and pains He had to face and the true depth of His sacrifice for mankind. He "fell on his face, and prayed, saying "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). As I have been reading the New Testament this semester, I have noticed that Jesus always gives the glory, honor, and respect to the Father after He performs any sort of miracle. He never tries to boast, brag, or do His own will. Jesus knew His purpose and did not want to do anything to detract from fulfilling it. He came to Earth to perform what we call the "Atonement." This word literally means "the process of becoming at one", particularly with God. Therefore, Jesus came to Earth to help all of us be able to become "at one" with God the Father. Without Him, we would not ever be worthy to live with God. In order to be able to lift us up, Jesus had to descend below the depths of all sin, guilt, shame, sorrow, bodily pain, sickness, and temptations. He had to experience these feelings and rise above them. I always thought it was quite admirable that Jesus went through all these difficult things, yet all along was giving the credit to His Father. I used to wonder, "Why doesn't He take some of the credit for Himself? After all, He is doing a lot."

But, I have come to better understand that Jesus, like all of us, strives to serve the Father and do as He commands. While it is true that He underwent the utmost agony and sacrifice for the world, He gave the glory to the Father because it is He who makes it all possible. He pays the ultimate price. A great analogy that my professor gave this week helped me to understand this. He prompted us to think of the story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. Whenever we read this story, to whom do we give more respect and credit -- Abraham or Isaac? Of course, Isaac was the one that was going to die as a sacrifice. But, do we not revere Abraham for his strength and courage in being the one to perform the sacrifice? This is similar to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. He makes it possible for us to come to God because of His Atonement. However, if it were not for the Father and His great and eternal plan for our salvation, none of it would be possible!

Obedience to the Lord

 This week we learned more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it is through Jesus Christ -- and nobody or nothing else -- that we are ultimately saved. This caused me to reflect on how wonderful it is that Christ knowingly chose to sacrifice himself for our sake. This scripture stuck out to me as I read in the Book of John this week:

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus Christ was not forced to do what He did for us. He was not tricked or deceived. He knew the entire plan outlined from beginning to end. Jesus knew that it would be difficult and painful. But, He also understood the great eternal consequences of His sacrifice for all of Creation. He knew that it was a commandment from the Father to perform the Atonement for our sins, but the Father still let Him choose if He would do it or not. Nobody truly had the power to kill Christ, but He was able to give up His own life for our cause. He chose to come to Earth and experience a mortal life, though He already lived with God before. He chose to give up his life and experience all human sin, anguish, pain, weakness, doubt, and every other dark experience of mortal life. Because of this choice, Jesus knows us all individually and we are indeed His "sheep", if we will choose to follow Him. 

Jesus Christ also chose to rise and live again and to be resurrected. Because of Him, we will one day do the same. Through His obedience to the Father in completing the Atonement, our salvation is possible. We now must be tested to see if we can use our agency (ability to choose) properly too. We are given commandments of the Father that require sacrifice, persistence, and determination to keep. Our human nature makes this difficult for us and inevitable that we will slip up at times. This is alright! As long as we are firmly anchored in Jesus Christ and follow His example, we can be saved from our fallen state. We must follow His example of obedience to the Father's will. Though it may not always make total sense in the moment, I know that the Lord's will is always far better than our own. I have felt and seen this in my own life that as I choose to do what God would have me do, I am blessed. 

Mission Farewell Talk

Here's my mission farewell talk for anyone who'd like to read it!

Good morning, brothers and sisters, friends, and family. I am so grateful to be speaking to you today about the Book of Mormon and its influence in my life and in my decision to serve a mission.

The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of scripture, similar in nature to the Bible. It contains the writings of prophets and followers of God. Just as Moses and others in the Old Testament prophesied of Jesus Christ's birth, life and ministry, and Atonement, the Book of Mormon prophets testified of Christ's coming to the Earth. In the Introduction of the Book of Mormon, it explains that the Book of Mormon “is a record of God's dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel.” Jesus Christ made himself known to His people in the Americas, as well as in Jerusalem. In John 10:16, Jesus says, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” The crowning event in the Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ fulfills this duty by visiting the people of the Americas, some of His “other sheep,” after His resurrection. He taught them His gospel and about the Plan of Salvation.

I have grown up reading the Book of Mormon and learning about it. I think I have always sort of known in my heart that it is true, but I didn't understand how or why. Especially in the past year, as I have more intensely and individually studied the Book of Mormon and prayed about it, I have found truth in its simple message. The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of mercy, of grace, and of hope. Basically, we are to use our God-given free will in order to choose to follow Jesus Christ. Our life is a refining process in which we learn, grow, repent, improve, and make sacred promises. As we turn our lives towards Christ, He will make us better and provide the way for our salvation. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work together to testify of Jesus Christ. They show how straying from Christ leads to pain, suffering, and confusion, while striving to be more like Him will bring happiness, hope, and clarity to our lives. In the Book of Mormon, it explains that the Book of Mormon was written that we may believe in the Bible, and if we believe in the Bible, we will believe in the Book of Mormon as well because they both testify of Jesus Christ, of the power of God, and the miracles which He has done for us.

As a full-time missionary, I will be working with a companion to teach the people of Brazil in our area about Jesus Christ and His gospel. I want to share the truth that I have found in the Book of Mormon and in Jesus Christ's gospel and plan of salvation. Our humble invitation is for others to come unto Jesus Christ and obtain salvation and happiness through His gospel. In the Book of Mark, chapter 1 verse 4 it explains how John the Baptist preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”. The gospel that Jesus Christ taught while on the Earth was just this. To obtain salvation, we must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith leads us to want to become better people, and to repent of our sins. As we repent, we turn our lives towards Jesus Christ and follow His commandments. This change in our lives is manifested by being baptized by immersion for the remission of our sins. When we are baptized, we make covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we will serve them, keep the commandments, be witnesses of Jesus Christ, and always remember Him. Baptism solidifies our commitment to Christ and shows that we are His disciple. It also allows us to be spiritually born again, and cleansed from all our previous sins. We are given a clean slate! Heavenly Father's promise to us is that we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a spirit who guides, directs, comforts, and inspires us for good. After baptism, we can receive the gift of constant companionship with the Holy Ghost if we live up to our promises. This makes it easier for us to live righteous lives and make good decisions, as we endure the trials and troubles of mortal life to the end. As long as we remain faithful to our covenants, or promises with God, we will live with Him again, alongside our families, in eternal happiness. God's “work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Everyone who came to the Earth knew about this plan before they were born, and it is my purpose as a missionary to invite God's children to come back to it and live their Heavenly Father's plan. The Book of Mormon outlines the purpose of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father's plan for us to come back to Him. Not only does this plan outline our means for eternal happiness after death, but living the gospel in our lives now brings blessings of happiness, peace, and strength. As a missionary, I will do as the Book of Mormon prophet Alma taught, and “stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places”.

There are three major things taught in the Book of Mormon that testify to me that it is true. They are the principles of purpose, progress, and potential. I want people to know what I know about why we are here, what we can become, and how we can do it. God is a loving Heavenly Father, who has sent us all to Earth so that we may learn, grow, and become better people. In the Book of Mormon it says, “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). Our purpose on Earth is to become worthy enough to live in the presence of God. Luckily, He has given us the means to do this. We know of the Plan of Salvation, in which we must live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through faith, repentance, baptism, and living the commandments, we become refined and improved. We grow a closer relationship to our Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. Our lives will be happier, more fulfilling, and we will be better equipped to deal with the inevitable challenges of life. Though we will not become perfect in this life, or be happy at all times, living the gospel of Jesus Christ with diligence will give us an anchor to hold to. It is a foundation that if we build upon it, we cannot fall. The Book of Mormon helps us to know know of the divine and amazing potential that we have, simply by being children of a Heavenly Father. Just as children often grow up to become like their parents, we have the potential to become like God. Through His grace, forgiveness, and mercy, we can turn our lives around and become whole.

As part of our divine potential, I also am excited to teach others about the eternal potential of our families. God designed the family to be the fundamental unit of society. If mothers and fathers raise children in righteousness, teaching them to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, and receiving the blessings of the temple, families can be together forever. A loving family is the most important support in our lives, and it is so exciting that we can have these loving ties for all eternity. Elder Robert D. Hales said: “The family is not an accident of mortality. It existed as an organizational unit in the heavens before the world was formed; historically, it started on earth with Adam and Eve, as recorded in Genesis. Adam and Eve were married and sealed for time and all eternity by the Lord, and as a result their family will exist eternally.”

Lastly, I would like to invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon. Whether you have read it several times, or have never even seen one, please read the Book of Mormon. It is a true book given to us from God and it's message is one of peace, hope, happiness, and salvation. Whenever I feel lost, confused, or upset, reading the Book of Mormon brings me peace, understanding, and joy. But, don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself if it is true. At the end of the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni chapter 10 verses 4-5 it says:

4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.

Heavenly Father is anxious for us to know the truth. But He cannot answer our questions unless we ask them. I testify that this gospel is true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Trust in His Plan

For the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about God's plan for us on Earth and as individuals. I know that we are all on the Earth for a purpose and that is to learn, grow, make choices, and come to know our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They want us to be able to come back and live with them after we die, and have provided a way to do this through the Plan of Salvation. (See this post to learn more about the Plan of Salvation: http://searchingandfindingtruth.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-way.html). This plan gives me comfort because I know that I am not just wandering aimlessly here on Earth for maybe seventy to eighty years for no reason. It gives me reason to live, to work hard, to change, to grow, to endure tough times, and to keep pressing forward. I love that God is so organized and has given us exactly what we need to do to find happiness and salvation. It's no mystery and is open for all to learn, believe, and know.

Similarly, I believe that we all have different things to accomplish in our lives. Things that we can do to serve others and to change the world. I have recently discovered how little I truly know about the world, and really the universe in general. Though it may be a hard thought, I really do not have much power over the world around me. Of course, I have the power to control my own decisions, actions, and behavior. But, I cannot control what others do or what challenges come my way. My knowledge and faith in God gives me hope that everything will work out as it should. Anything that I could plan and hope for my life may certainly be good, but I know that if I follow God and serve Him, He will bless me beyond what I could dream of. He will refine me and make my life so much more meaningful and important. Sometimes, I worry about the future. It bothers me not to know exactly how my life will turn out sometimes. But, I realized that I do not need to know every little detail of the future to have hope that it will be good. As long as I follow the commandments of God, I will be guided and directed through the darkness of this world to happiness and light. As humans, we naturally want to feel in control. Psychologically it gives us confidence and eases our anxiety to feel like we have all the power in our lives. Think how much more secure of a feeling it is to know that the Supreme, All-Knowing, Creator of the Universe knows YOU, loves YOU, and wants to take care of YOU. He has set forth the way to follow. All we have to do is choose it and act on it.

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

Have you ever wondered about the nature of God? People talk about Him as if He is an obscure, all-encompassing blob of something that cannot be defined. However, God is our Heavenly Father. We are His spiritual children, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother. Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us personally and individually, and wants us to be able to live with Him again. He has a body of flesh and bone, just as we do. In Genesis 1:26, we read of how God created man in His own image and after His own likeness. This means that our appearance and form is modeled after that of God and that He is a distinct physical being. We lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to Earth. He has provided a plan for us in which we can grow, progress, and learn. This plan involves us coming to Earth, receiving a body, and living a mortal life. We have the opportunity to follow God's commandments and make righteous decisions, showing that we love Him and want to obey Him. As we obey Heavenly Father's commandments, we grow a closer relationship with Him and get to know Him better. We learn of our individual and important purpose of living and what we need to do to help others live righteously. Heavenly Father gave us our free will to make decisions. He does not force us to do what is right; we have the power to choose. This life is a time of testing to see if we will come back to Him and serve Him. He sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the Earth and atone for our sins. Jesus Christ died so that we may repent and be forgiven of our wrongdoings and become purified, better people. In this Atonement, Jesus also suffered all the pains of the world. We can look to Jesus Christ for support and compassion because He has literally felt all of the pains, sorrows, discomforts, and anxieties of our lives. He is the only person that has a perfect understanding of what we are personally going through, and this knowledge gives us faith, hope, and strength to press on when the going gets tough. I know that Heavenly Father cares about all of us deeply, in a fatherly loving way, and He pays attention to our lives. He mourns with us as we suffer, celebrates as we do what is right and are prosperous, and encourages us to persist. Heavenly Father is always there for us, and any feelings of distance from Him are a result of us walking away, not from Him leaving us behind. I invite you to develop a relationship with your Heavenly Father, just as you would with an earthly father. Get to know Him by talking to Him through sincere prayer, reading His word in the scriptures, and doing His will by following the commandments He has given us. As you make an effort to come to God and to follow Jesus Christ, you will be blessed and inspired.

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.

The Book of Mormon is ANOTHER Testament

The full title of the Book of Mormon is "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ." It is a record written by ancient people and prophets, just as the Bible is. The Book of Mormon truly testifies of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His suffering so that we can repent and become perfected, resurrected beings someday. The gospel of Jesus Christ taught in His mortal ministry in the New Testament is not contradicted in the Book of Mormon; in fact, the Book of Mormon is a strong support and companion to the Bible. In Mormon 7:8-9, it explains that the gospel of Christ is set before us "not only in this record [the Book of Mormon] but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews [the Bible]". Mormon continues, "For behold, this [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also". Essentially, the Book of Mormon stands by the Bible as a true record and a work from God, and if you believe in the Bible, you will stand by the principles set forth in the Book of Mormon as well because they teach the same doctrines. A major example of this is that the Bible contains many miracles and great works of Jesus Christ. These are not merely stories to get a point across; the actions done by Him in the Bible and Book of Mormon are true and historical events. In Malachi 3:6, Christ says "For I am the Lord, I change not." This means that if He was doing miracles and great works and wonders in Biblical and Book of Mormon times, why wouldn't He continue to do so in our time? I testify that God is still a God of miracles, and that He can bless us beyond all we can imagine if we follow the gospel and strive to be more like Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon complements the Bible well in being a testament of Jesus Christ, His divinity, His power, and His love and Atonement for us.

Mission Papers are in! Read more about it here! :)

I have made the decision to serve my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) as a missionary for 18 months after this semester. I realized that a lot of you may not be familiar with missionary service, so I thought I would take the time to explain what I will be doing and why. As a missionary, I will be devoting all of my time and energy to serving the Lord and teaching others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will work alongside another female companion, and we will visit and teach people together. Along with teaching, missionaries participate in a lot of service in the communities they are assigned to. They strive to help others understand God's plan for our salvation and come to know their Savior Jesus Christ. Since most of my time will be devoted to this work, I will put aside school, dating, and employment for the 18 months that I am out serving. I will have a day each week in which I can write letters and e-mails to family and friends (I'd love to hear from you!), but most of the time I will be focused on my assignment to serve.

I have been working on my application to serve as a missionary for the past few months, which has involved dental and medical evaluations, interviews with church leaders, and several other preparatory steps. I officially am submitting my paperwork this weekend!! This paperwork will be sent to the Mission Office in Salt Lake City, Utah. The leaders of the church review all the applications and prayerfully assign each missionary based on revelation from God as to where they are needed to serve. This decision will be made sometime next week, and I will hopefully receive my mission call in the mail about a week after that!! I am so excited to find out where the Lord needs me to serve Him! There are 405 mission areas all around the world, so there are many places I could go! (Guesses start now!) No matter where I am called to serve, I know that it is where I am meant to go and that I will be able to serve the people there with help from God. I know that God has a plan for all of us to bring us back to live with Him because He loves us so much!  I can't wait to share this knowledge with other people, wherever that may be. When I get my call, I will be assigned to report to a Missionary Training Center (MTC) on a certain date sometime this summer. While at the MTC, I will learn how to teach the gospel and be a good missionary. I may be learning a new language as well, depending on where I am assigned to serve. After a few weeks at the MTC, I will be off to whichever mission I am assigned to and will start my service as a missionary! I am so excited about this opportunity to serve others and to teach people the truth that I know. I recognized that this is quite a different experience, and it is going to be one of the greatest in my life. I hope you will ask me any questions that you may have, I would love to talk to you about it! Please don't hesitate to ask anything you may be wondering about. Also, thanks to everyone that's been reading my blog; I've been learning so much by writing it and am grateful for the opportunity to share what I'm learning with others.  If you enter your e-mail address at the top of the page, you can subscribe to my blog too! Thanks everyone, I love you!

The Law is Fulfilled

In Biblical times, the people of Israel were given the Law of Moses, a specific code of commandments and ordinances to be followed. This Law was given to the people by a prophet to guide them and help them be better prepared to follow Jesus Christ when He came. It was never intended to be the law forever, but was a preparatory motion for the people of Israel. When Christ came to the Earth and completed the Atonement through His suffering, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, He overcame death of the body and set forth a new law.

In the Book of Mormon, Jesus tells the people "Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfill the law; therefore it hath and end" (3 Nephi 15:5). He then introduced the doctrine of Christ, the higher law, saying: "I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life" (v. 9). This doctrine shows the way to return to Christ by having faith, repenting of our sins, being baptized for a remission or cleansing of these sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us always, and enduring through life's inevitable struggles faithfully by following the commandments of God. I know that this gospel that Jesus Christ set forth is true, and although much of it was lost or confused as history went on after His death, the fullness of the gospel has been restored to the Earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. I testify that we can all look to Christ and follow His gospel as we learn to have faith, be obedient, and open our hearts to the truth that He has brought to the Earth through His servants, the prophets.

Alma 37-42

In these chapters of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma gives counsel to his three sons, Helaman, Corianton, and Shiblon concerning righteousness and the plan of our Savior Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind.
Satan would have us selfishly serve our own desires and, in a sense, make our whims a god over our lives. His sole purpose is to frustrate the plan of salvation, causing others the same condemnation that he must face. Satan will never have a body and will never enjoy the blessings of being exalted in heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and he wants to do all he can to drag others down with him. Our actions in this earthly state matter because of the Law of Restoration, which states that "that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all" (Alma 41:15). Good is restored to good, and evil to evil in the Resurrection. As Alma points out, "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10). You simply cannot act immorally and wickedly and find true, lasting happiness.
Jesus Christ, on the other hand, has a much different plan for us. There is a Plan of Salvation in which mankind is created, fallen, redeemed through the Crucifixion, and then resurrected and can be exalted to eternity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Under the gospel of Jesus Christ, people must first obtain faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They must repent of their sins and receive a remission of their sins through baptism by immersion. Finally, people must live righteously, following God's commandments and enduring to the end. The gospel of Christ is simple to understand. The difficulty comes in implementing it in our lives and staying faithful to it. Thankfully, we are able to repent of our inevitable mistakes and can strive to be a little better each day. This plan of happiness is the only "way or means whereby man can be saved" (Alma 38:9). In this earthly life, we are given agency and free will to choose how we will conduct our lives. Life is a "time granted unto men to repent...a probationary time...to repent and serve God" (Alma 42:4). Let us all try in our lives to be diligent in following the commandments of the Lord, and be accountable and repentant for our sins.