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Becoming: Fulfilling My Life’s Covenants and Purpose

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“When we know who we are and what we are supposed to do, it is easier to make important decisions about education, careers, and marriage. It is easier to shine our light in our families, with our friends, and in all other places.”

Julie B. Beck, “You Have a Noble Birthright,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2006, 107

Report:Share (or record in your journal) something you have done this week to show your faithfulness.

What Will I Become?

Read:If you started My Plan on your mission, recall that as a returned missionary, your opportunity to create a happy, gospel-centered life is greater now than ever before. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said: “In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. … It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. … What is important in the end is what we have become by our labors” (“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32, 34).

Discuss:How did your mission expand your vision of what you can become?

Create a Vision: What Is God’s Purpose for Me?

Read:Elder Richard G. Scott has taught, “The Lord has a purpose for you, individually” (“Learning to Succeed in Life” [Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 15, 1998], speeches.byu.edu). As a child of God, you have potential to receive “all that [the] Father hath” (D&C 84:38). The questions you must answer include “What will I do with my potential? How can I understand and accomplish God’s purpose for my life?” First you need a vision, then goals, followed by a plan.

Ponder:What do you think you are capable of becoming spiritually and temporally?

Covenants Are an Essential Part of Your Life’s Mission and Purpose

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“Making and cheerfully keeping our covenants gives validity and life to the vital sacred and saving ordinances we need to receive in order to obtain all that the Father hath.”

Linda K. Burton, “The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 43

Read:God’s people are a covenant-making people. The Father works with us through covenants we make with Him. Lorenzo Snow, prophet and President of the Church, taught: “I believe that when you and I were in [our premortal] life, we made certain covenants with those that had control, that in this life … we would do what we had done in that [premortal] life—find out the will of God and conform to it” (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow [1984], 118–19).

Elder LeGrand Richards also taught: “I received a patriarchal blessing when I was only eight years old. Among other things it said, ‘Thou hast not come here upon earth by chance, but in fulfillment of the decrees of the Almighty to accomplish a great work.’ Then it went on in detail about what I could do. All my life as a boy, I prayed that if I did not come here by chance that the Lord would help me to live so that I would not be deprived of the privilege of doing the work that he sent me to do. I cannot imagine anything that would be more disappointing than to return after this life and have the Lord say, ‘Well, LeGrand, this is what we sent you to do, but you just wouldn’t do it. You got off on a detour, and we had to raise up someone else to do your work for you’ (“A Constructive Life,” New Era, June 1976, 8).

Ponder:Ask yourself, “What is true success in life?” What do you know about your life’s purpose so far?

Read:As you ponder and pray about your mission here on earth, the Lord will bless you with greater understanding. He has blessed you with several resources, including the scriptures and your patriarchal blessing, to guide and help you understand your life’s purpose.

Using Your Patriarchal Blessing as a Guide

Read:President Thomas S. Monson gave instruction on learning about personal missions from patriarchal blessings: “The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as your patriarchal blessing. Every worthy member of the Church is entitled to receive such a precious and priceless personal treasure” (“Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 65).

Discuss:How did my patriarchal blessing direct me during my mission?

Activity:To gain a better understanding of the Lord’s will for you, make a copy of your patriarchal blessing. Then do the following:

• Step 1. Circle all of the words in your patriarchal blessing that describe you (for example, “humble” or “sincere”). In your journal, list these words beneath a heading titled “I am.”

• Step 2. Underline all of the phrases that describe actions to take (for example, “study the scriptures diligently” or “seek an advanced education”). In your journal, list these phrases beneath a heading titled “I will.”

• Step 3. Look at the lists you wrote. Ask yourself, “What does my patriarchal blessing reveal to me about God’s purpose for my life?”

• Step 4. Write a description of the person you think Heavenly Father wants you to become.

“A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient, even a white line down the middle of the road, to protect, inspire, and motivate activity and righteousness. A patriarchal blessing literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities. I say eternal, for just as life is eternal, so is a patriarchal blessing.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66

Personal Revelation through the Book of Mormon

Read:Elder M. Russell Ballard testified that “the Book of Mormon, above all other books that I know of, is the greatest source we have for answers to real life problems” (“We Add Our Witness,” Ensign, Mar. 1989, 8–9). Elder David A. Bednar has emphasized the importance of “reading, studying, searching, and pondering the scriptures in general and the Book of Mormon in particular” (“Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod,” Ensign, Oct. 2011, 33). By using the Book of Mormon daily, we will be blessed with greater guidance, purpose, protection, and comfort. The Lord will guide us in things both temporal and spiritual. Elder Richard G. Scott said: “I bear witness that the [Book of Mormon] can become a personal ‘Urim and Thummim’ in your life” (“The Power of the Book of Mormon in My Life,” Ensign, Oct. 1984, 65).

Discuss:What does it mean that the scriptures are a Urim and Thummim? How did the Book of Mormon help you on your mission? How can it continue to be a guide as you move forward?

Commit:

• On your mission, you invited others to read the Book of Mormon and find answers. This week, study the Book of Mormon daily, seeking to learn about the work Heavenly Father has sent you to accomplish. Write down your impressions in your study journal.

• Visit the temple, or find a quiet space, and pray for greater understanding about what you have been prepared to accomplish in this life.

• Share what you learned today with another returned missionary, young single adult, or a member of your family.