A couple of weeks ago, our daughter returned home from college for the Memorial Day weekend. She had to return the following day, of course, to finish out the Spring Term, and she will spend the summer away from home so that she can maintain her campus job. As a father, I worry constantly about her, especially when I don’t hear from her for 3 or 4 days. And then, the times that she does return home have become almost mini-celebrations. We have special meals, family activities, and I have truly enjoyed just sitting down with her and chatting about life in general.
Over the past year, she has returned home several times to spend a weekend or holiday with the family, and it is remarkable to see how much she has grown and matured. I chuckle inwardly as she does her own laundry now, grateful to have use of a free washing machine and dryer. She approaches her mother and asks what she can help with, and she willingly jumps in to lend a hand making dinner without even being asked. In fact, she asks questions about cooking, auto maintenance, and household cleaning that she never asked before when she lived at home. I am also grateful that she gets up early on Sunday morning and attends church by herself, because her roommates are either inactive or out of town. In a way, it is sad to think that she had to move away from home in order for this change to occur, but if she had remained at home, it may not have ever happened.
Recently, the thought came to me that perhaps our Heavenly Father had this same transformation in mind when he sent us down here to this Earth. We have come to Earth to grow and learn and be tested, a college of sorts, and we really couldn’t have done this without ‘moving out’ from our previous homes. I fully believe that He knew this and wanted to see us all grow and mature, and as He watches us, I am sure He worries, or cries, or even inwardly chuckles at times. But in the end, we will return with a whole new perspective and a wealth of experience that we could not have achieved any other way.
In a April 2008 address given at BYU, Elder David A. Bednar explained that: “The overarching purpose of Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness is to provide His spirit children with opportunities to learn. The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the agency afforded to all of the Father’s children through the Redeemer’s infinite and eternal sacrifice are divinely designed to facilitate our learning.”
Fortunately, our Heavenly Father made it possible for us to return home through the Savior’s Atonement, and when we do return, I am sure we will have a tremendous celebration. Free laundry, family activities, and maybe I will even help make dinner without being asked.
© Copyright 2011 Jeff, All rights Reserved. Written For: Jeffrey Olsen