Where Did I Come From?

Your life did not begin at birth, nor will it end at death. You are made up of a spirit body (sometimes called the soul) and a physical body. Heavenly Father created your spirit, and you lived with Him as a spirit before you were born on earth. You knew and loved Him, and He knew and loved you. This period is called pre-earth life.

“The plan of [salvation] … was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.”

Alma 22:13

Throughout your pre-earth life, you were taught the principles and commandments that would lead to happiness. You grew in intelligence and learned to love the truth. You were taught about the plan of salvation. During this pre-earth life, Jesus Christ was chosen as the Savior; you learned that through Him you would be able to overcome the effects of your wrong choices.

An important part of God’s plan was for you to come to earth to receive a physical body and to learn to make correct choices. You would not remember living in Heavenly Father’s presence, but He would give you the ability to know right from wrong. You would be able to recognize His love and truth. Through your experiences and trials, you could learn to make right choices consistently. With the help of Jesus Christ, you would be able to return to live with Heavenly Father when your life on earth was over.

Although your memory of it is withheld, before you came to this earth you lived in the presence of God, your Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. You shouted for joy when given the privilege of coming to this earth to receive a body and to follow God’s plan for your happiness.

In your pre-earth life, you learned that only by choosing to follow God’s plan could you receive lasting peace and satisfaction in this life and for eternity. Because He loves you, Heavenly Father gave you agency, or the power to make choices. He let you choose whether you would follow His plan and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan, one of God’s spirit children, rebelled against Heavenly Father and did not accept His plan. He wanted to force us all to do his will. Sadly, many of Heavenly Father’s children chose to follow Satan. Satan and his followers were sent away from God’s presence and were not allowed to be born on earth. They continue to exist as spirits. They are miserable, and they want you to be miserable. They tempt you and all God’s children to do things that bring unhappiness and that are not pleasing to God.

In the pre-earth life, you chose to have faith in Jesus Christ and to follow God’s plan. Because of your choices, you were born on earth. Only by making these same choices can you find peace in this life and be able to return to live with Heavenly Father after this life is over.