May 25, 2010
All the world’s a stage…
Imagine watching the middle half of Cinderella without knowing the story. Without the beginning, it wouldn’t make much sense: who is this girl and why is everyone being so mean to her? Who would honestly choose to wear glass shoes? And without the end, the story seems unfair because you just see Cinderella dressed in rags again because her magic ran out at midnight.
That’s why we need the whole story–in Disney and in life. Once we know the beginning and the ending, we understand why Cinderella had to suffer in the beginning, and we know that she’ll get her happily ever after with the prince. We see these minor setbacks were just toughening agents that helped Cinderalla triumph over evil.
And that’s how it is with our life. I think some people look at the here and now and say, “Wow, this is hard. Is there really a God? Does he love me?” THE ANSWER IS THAT HE DOES. The Bible and the Book of Mormon help us understand that life did not begin with birth, nor will it end with death. Before this life, we lived with God. He loved us. He wanted us to learn and to grow. He sent us here–THIS is the second act of life’s play when opposition mounts and is seems no rescue is in sight. But He knew
we’d need a hero, so he sent His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. He died and was resurrected three days later so we can live again as well–because of His sacrifice, if we prove faithful we can have a happy ending and live with God again. In fact, the Book of Mormon calls this the Plan of Happiness.
I know this plan is real, because I have studied it, and I have prayed about it. I have held newborn infants and thought, “This is too perfect and beautiful–there’s got to be a purpose to this child.” I have had trials and thought, “There is a reason to this struggle.” And I have trusted in God and felt peace. You can too if you’re just willing to get down on your knees and ask.
For more about fairy tales and adversity, check out “Your Happily Ever After” by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Learn more about Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness.
