I Know God’s Plan

By Vicki F. Matsumori

“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Where do you live? In the city? The country? A suburb? Do you live on an island? In the middle of a desert? From your home can you see mountains? An ocean? A forest?

Who lives with you? Are you the only child, or do you have many brothers and sisters? Do your parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles live with you?

Do you know that before you came to earth to live, you lived in heaven with Heavenly Father? It was there that you, “with many others, received [your] first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth [to the earth] in the due time of the Lord” (D&C 138:56).

But there were more than just lessons while we lived in heaven. Elder Gary J. Coleman of the Seventy says, “God’s plan included our premortal existence, the creation of this world, a time in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve, and the fall of man into mortality” (“‘O How Great the Plan of Our God!’” Ensign, Feb. 1996, 15).

Heavenly Father told us during the Council in Heaven about a great plan of happiness. He said an earth would be created; a Savior would be provided; and we would be given agency, or the freedom to choose between good and evil.

Some premortal beings did not want to follow this plan, and there was a war in heaven. However, we chose to support Heavenly Father’s plan, so we were given bodies and sent to many different places on earth to learn about the Savior and to keep the commandments.

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, if we choose the right, we will one day be able to return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.

Plan of Happiness Viewer

Mount page 4 on heavy paper; then cut out the large rectangle and the picture strip. Cut slits in the rectangle on the heavy black lines.
Roll the rectangle into a tube with the slits at one end, and glue the tube together.
Slide the strip through the slits in the tube. Look through the tube to see pictures illustrating Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness.

Council in Heaven by Robert T. Barrett; Adam and Eve by Lonni Clarke; Christ in Gethsemane by Harry Anderson; photographs © Digital Stock

Sharing Time Ideas

Cover a painting of the Savior with a large piece of paper cut into puzzle pieces. Label each piece with one of the following: (1) scriptures that testify of Christ, such as Matt. 3:17; JS—H 1:17; John 6:69; Matt. 16:15–16; 3 Ne. 11:9–10; John 4:25–26; (2) songs or hymns about the Savior; (3) paragraphs of “The Living Christ—The Testimony of the Apostles” (see Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2–3). Have the children take turns choosing a puzzle piece and reading or singing what it refers to. Challenge the children to think about ways to be like the Savior. Share Moro. 7:48.
Explain that knowledge is important to agency. Prepare pieces of paper with instructions written in large letters. Instructions could include “Repeat the first article of faith”; “Sing a solo”; “Lead the Primary in singing ‘I Lived in Heaven’” (Liahona, Apr. 1999, F5); and so on. Place the papers so they can be easily read. Blindfold a child and have him or her take a paper, then complete the activity. Invite other children to choose, blindfolding some and letting others choose by reading which activity they wish to do. Discuss how they made a good choice when they knew what they were choosing. Challenge them to listen to parents and leaders to learn about choices that will lead them back to Heavenly Father.