I even got out my copy of Mormon Doctrine (my mother jokingly refers to it as her "Second Bible" and gave it to us for our wedding), but I was unable to find anything relating to the subject.
As I understand the Plan of Salvation, and as far as what I believe in my mind and in my soul, our spirits lived in a Premortal Existence. In that Premortal Existence, we learned and made choices and acted, in a very real sense, to defend truth and righteousness and our desire for a body and the experience of mortality. We used our god-given talents and abilities to form relationships and possibly even assist in the creation of this very world. We were not the type of spirits to sit on clouds and play harps. On the contrary, we were incredibly active and involved in carrying out the Lord's great plan from the very beginning.
According to scripture, the Lord has promised us that all pain, suffering, and trial are for our good. These are the times when we are often humble and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and allow for great spiritual growth. Through personal experience, I completely agree with the scriptures on this point. The scriptures, as well as modern-day prophets, also assure us that the Lord will not give us a trial that is "more than we can bear."
I've heard some people say that they believe that they knew what their trials would be before they came to earth. I believe that we all knew that trials were part of the mortal experience, but these people speak as though very specific trials were outlined and they accepted the challenge and responsibility. Sometimes I wonder if it is like Patriarchal Blessings. Some blessings are very vague and open-ended, whereas others are incredibly specific and almost outline a step-by-step road map for the person's life. I do believe that certain trials are more difficult for certain people. There are certain trials that will teach me infinitely more than they may teach someone else. In that way, I do believe that our loving Heavenly Father knows what we need to learn and how we can best learn it. Therefore, certain trials are "custom made" (so to speak).
I guess I'm just wondering how trials relating to our spiritual growth correlate with genetics. Just the other day, I was told by a doctor that a certain condition is "overwhelmingly hereditary." It makes me think of other conditions that we know, scientifically, can be passed from person to person through genetics - there are several, both mental and physical. Is a Spirit sent to a certain family because the genetics are in place for certain trials? How much of a person's "innate" personality, or in other words, how much of a person's spiritual talents and abilities play into the creation of their personality verses the physical genetics, birth order, economic condition (i.e. poverty), etc?
I guess it's sort of a "What Came First: The Chicken or the Egg" situation. Perhaps it's also a combination. I've just been wondering.
I am the sort of person who has a very easy time accepting that there are certain questions to which there will be no answers in this life. I also believe that there are absolutely answers to every question, however, just as it is unnecessary and unwise for me to give ALL knowledge to my toddler, I am perfectly comfortable with the fact that there is a time and a season in which we receive those answers. I have plenty of gospel principles that I have yet to "master" before I need to ask "unnecessary" questions. I know that there aren't any concrete answers to these questions right now, and my testimony will not be shaken without those answers. I'll just put it on my "List of Things to Discuss with God - When I Get There."
3 comments:
This is too deep for me to comment on...I have to think about it first. :)
When I read the beginning of your post, saying you're wondering about genetics on a spiritual level, I thought of my dad. I've noticed he's always asking me about my kids' personalities, and with every aspect of them he asks, "and where does he get that from?" or "Which of you does she get that from?" I think it's interesting to think that all elements of our personality would come from one parent or the other...but then what about our spirits, that were already formed for years and years before we were ever born? How much of our personality comes from genetics, and how much from our spirits, and how much from our experiences?
That's obviously a different subject than you're talking about, and what you're talking about can get really confusing to me, thinking about what family we go to and why, what trials we have and why...did I go to good, righteous parents because I was righteous in the pre-earth life, or because I wouldn't be able to handle not having it, or because I just needed different trials?
Oh, the thinks you can think...
Actually, Jana, that is exactly what I was trying to say. I could tell I was floundering while I was writing, but I just kept going. I agree that it is an exhausting and confusing topic. It makes my head hurt (kind of like trying to imagine that we will live forever - trying to comprehend forever is overwhelming). But, thank you for your insight. I'll add it to my wonderings.
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