Lesson for February 9, 2014

Lesson for February 9, 2014 Our lesson today was given by Maggie Kopp about the Plan of Salvation. Maggie told about the first time she learned about the plan of salvation and asked others when they learned. Lisa Anderson said she learned that what you do in this life makes a difference in what happens in the next. Sister Lewis said she met someone who had no idea they were God’s children. The lesson is grouped into the steps that are learned in Primary. The first step is the premortal world and rejoiced to learn of the plan. Maggie asked what questions the plan of salvation answered for us. Linda Campbell said she learned about eternal families. Another sister said she learned that God has a plan for us. Sister Hickman said she had an experience where someone said her daughter asked where she was when her parents got married. Sister Hickman said she just said up in heaven and everyone looked at her like she was strange. Sister said she learned at the World’s Fair and saw the film Man’s Search For Happiness. Another sister said that she learned by teaching on her mission about the plan of happiness. Even when we have doubts, we can rest them on the things we do know and believe. The next section is about the Fall and mortality. D&C Section 2 talks about how the Fall was an essential part of the plan to have posterity and learn what we must learn and blessings. Maggie said she learned that mortality is a great gift. We need to learn so we can perfect our bodies so we can become godlike. God created us so we can become like Him. He gave us agency and initiative so we can withstand the vicissitudes of mortality: illness, age, other people’s choices, handicaps, are experiences we need to learn. We can be grateful for the things Heavenly Father has created for me. The blessing is that we CAN learn. We need to learn that we can trust Heavenly Father and His plan for us and our Savior. The next sections are about the Atonement, because it is the center of the whole plan. How do we build on the Atonement and why is it the foundation? Without it, we would all suffer, even more than we do. President Smith does talk about enduring to the end. The gospel helps us know that through the Atonement is that we can repent and keep going. Bonnie said that the new films at the temple shows how hard it was for them to make decisions and go through sorrow to have the blessings. Maggie said that she has struggled to know that the Savior really understands. One thing that has stood out to her is that Jesus has experienced everything, so he does understand us, even if we experience unique things that women go through. He has been lower than all that. He is not embarrassed or shocked by us, but wants to partner with us to help us. The last two sections talk about the blessings of resurrection and eternal life. We are all promised that we will be resurrected and that we will have eternal family relationships if we keep our ordinances. We can look forward to more blessings and continuing to learn and grow. One sister told of her nephew who was concerned when he saw a picture of Christ suffering. Her sister told him that he did that so our families could be together forever. The glorious blessings of eternal inheritance do not come except through willingness to place all things on the altar and join with Christ in carrying out the plan. Nothing we could do would repay Heavenly Father, but whatever we do is appreciated. God loves us so much that he wants us to be with him. No matter how many righteousness points we have, they are less than infinity, which is what Christ gives us and that is enough. We can all come to Christ and be eternal families.