Mid-Life Philosophy--11

Real Life

When I was in the Missionary Training Center, Elder Holland spoke to us. It was a long time ago and I don't remember much. One part really stood out. I will paraphrase because my memory is not perfect. He said, "I don't want to ever hear a missionary say, 'When I get back to real life...' or 'When I get back to the real world...' THIS IS REAL LIFE! This is what life is all about! There will be a time when this is all we do for eternity." (The this he is speaking of is assisting in the Lord's work.)

I really love this perspective on life. Sometimes, a lot of the time, I can be burdened with the mundane labors and requirements of mortality: bills, groceries, making dinner, insurance, utilities, leaky faucets, etc. It takes a toll on me. I am not saying those things don't matter, because they do, but they are secondary to what real life is about.

The world is so much bigger than me. The things that really matter are huge. When I think about the politics of the dominant social issues of our day, I feel like the arguments and logic of the trending philosophies are very convincing. I have to step back and remind myself that this little bit of the world is just that--a little bit. Real life is big. It is bigger than me. It is bigger than any social issue. It is bigger than this whole world. Real life is the stuff of eternity.

A few years ago, I was speaking to a friend who had fallen away from his faith. One Sunday, he returned to church and found himself thinking that the people there all lived in a little bubble, unaware of the "real world" outside. This conversation was fresh in my mind when I watched General Conference. At that meeting, I heard one of our apostles speak about drug abuse. He listed different popular drugs and their effects, both temporary and permanent. As he spoke, I turned to my sister and said, "How can anyone think these old men are out of touch? He is so aware of what is going on in the world." My sister said, "As a prophet and seer, he can see much more than we can. We are the ones who are out of touch."

My sister (it's you, Rachel) is wise. I know I believe in living prophets, but after Rachel taught me in this way, I began to look at the world a little differently. I see now that we all live in a bubble of our own making. The only ones outside the bubble and able to see the "real world" are those who see through the Spirit.

So, the philosophy of mine is to remember that eternity is real life and that life is bigger than what I see right around me. There is so much more. I want to look beyond my bubble and see the big picture. On occasion, the Lord has granted me a glimpse, a feeling, of how grand His plan is. The ways I serve in His kingdom are the things that matter most now and will matter forever.