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There’s an Eternal Plan for Every One of Us
The plan of salvation is the eternal grand plan by the virtue of which, all of our Heavenly Father’s spirit children can be born into mortality and receive a physical body. It is a state of probation that allows us to overcome challenges and exercise our faith in Jesus Christ. It is this same plan that enables us to return to His promised kingdom where we’ll have the opportunity to grow eternally in knowledge and in truth.
During his address in the October 2018 general conference, President Dallin H. Oaks stated that the plan of salvation “provides a perfect balance between eternal justice and the mercy we can obtain through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It enables us to be transformed into new creatures in Christ”.1 It is through this slow and steady process of transformation that we leave behind small but lasting footsteps over a lifetime that leads us to the tree of life that Lehi saw in his dream.
My journey started when I was introduced to the Church in 2015 by my son (who is a graduate student in Texas), while he was visiting Kolkata. It was then that I had received my first Book of Mormon in Bengali and had the opportunity to visit the Relief Society president of our Kolkata Branch. Soon enough, I started taking lessons through Skype from the elders in the India New Delhi Mission. On 18 June 2016, my daughter and I became the newest members of our Kolkata Branch. My son was present to baptize us.
It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life, an experience that has left a profound impact since. The promise of baptism is the first step to join the fold of our Heavenly Father’s covenant children and it consists of our being willing to obey all of God’s commandments. Just as we immerse ourselves backwards into the waters of baptism, it provides us a chance to revisit our old life; and to cleanse ourselves of all our past sins and transgressions. And as we come forward out of the water, it is as if we have our eyes fixed onto our future: to receive eternal life. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is the immediate essential step toward this eternal progression. We are promised guidance, protection and knowledge about the truth through promptings and feelings, that can come from the continual presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. The Book of Mormon describes the Holy Ghost as the “Comforter (that) filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God” (Moroni 8:26).
As much joy as a new birth in the family can bring; the loss of a loved one can be equally devastating. I lost my husband in 2015. When I learned about the plan of salvation for the first time, it brought great comfort to me. Although it was a new doctrine, it somehow seemed so familiar. Not only had it given me hope at a very challenging period of my life, but also, I was made cognizant of the true love that our Heavenly Father has for me and for all of His children.
The challenges and tragedies that we must survive are very much part and parcel of our mortal existence and no one knows our state of affliction better than our Heavenly Father. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “I am positive in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny. Sometime we’ll understand fully, and when we see back from the vantage point of the future, we shall be satisfied with many of the happenings of this life that are so difficult for us to comprehend.”2 This is the whole essence of the plan of salvation. It is through overcoming obstacles that we can strengthen our testimonies and our faith in Jesus Christ and find comfort in His Atonement. We eagerly chose to come earthward, to experience joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. It would be the next essential step to the Resurrection and to eternal life.
The knowledge about, and my testimony of, our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan of happiness is what has propelled me to stay firm in the gospel. I always look forward to Sunday as it provides me with an opportunity to partake of the sacrament and to renew my baptismal covenants and learn and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with other Church members. It has greatly enhanced my knowledge about ordinances and the Lord’s temple. I look forward to my endowment in the next few months. I couldn’t be more grateful to my Heavenly Father for the blessings I’ve seen in my life and I extend my prayers unto him for our General Authorities, local authorities, all our missionaries and church members across the globe and for all their families.