The Sombrero Galaxy Led to Some Sober Thoughts
I saw the above picture of the Sombrero Galaxy from Ryan Best’s post on Facebook and it brought back memories.
When I was in the Navy, stationed in Guam, I used to spend endless hours gazing into the night sky, devoid of any light pollution, to see the countless stars there were to see. It was awe inspiring and led me, for the first time in my life, to begin to ponder the really big questions of life, such as “Who am I?” and “What is all of this about?” Fortunately for me, after many months of posing these and other such questions, sending them out into the void, I received some answers. I now know who I am and what all of this is about, which are some of the most important things to know in life because it gives my life direction and purpose.
It is so comforting to know where I came from, why I am here on earth in mortality, what the purpose of life is, and what happens after this life. By no means is this knowledge complete, because I wouldn’t even understand the vocabulary, much like me trying to explain quantum mechanics or astro-physics to a toddler, the toddler would not even understand the vocabulary, let alone have the capacity to comprehend what there is to know.
Yet, it is enough to know that which can be known and comprehended, little by little, line upon line, as I grow and learn. I am a literal spirit child of a Heavenly Father and like any good parent, our Heavenly Father along with His Son, Jesus Christ, do all that they can do to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children.
We are eternal beings having a mortal experience. Much like going away to boarding school, we were sent here to learn and to grow and to know by our own experience to discern between right and wrong, good and bad, health and sickness, light and darkness, etc. There is opposition in all things that we may exercise our agency to choose. It is a gift of God. By so doing, we demonstrate the content of our character and what kind of beings we are becoming, hence, this mortal life is a test of sorts, to see what we are made of.
Heavenly Father already knows what we are made of, so this test is to demonstrate to ourselves what we are becoming and what level of law we are willing to abide. Anyone willing to ask such questions honestly and with real intent, meaning that once enlightened, they are willing to act on the knowledge, rather than to only ask out of curiosity, will receive the answers to that which they seek.
If we are not willing to do something with the knowledge received, God will not give it to us, because we would then be accountable for it and He is too merciful to lay such a burden on us. To ask only out of curiosity with no intent to do anything with the knowledge would be fruitless, so our Heavenly Father only reveals truth to those who honestly seek it, with the intent to apply that truth, as it should be. This is accountability.
We are accountable according the truth we understand in regards to the way we live our lives. It is my personal belief that in the eternal scheme of things, we are still in the toddler stage of our eternal existence. Like children in a sandbox, we have the opportunity here on earth to learn to share, play nicely together, learn to help one another, and to develop good characteristics. In a nutshell, we have the opportunity and capacity to become more like our Heavenly Father and the Savior or we can choose to become something else, it is all up to us.
Fortunately, our Heavenly Father does not leave us without assistance. He and the Savior have given us a roadmap through the written word, the Holy Ghost, inspired prophets, and the example of the Savior to guide and direct us for good. Like everyone else in mortality, I am flawed and weak in many ways, and yet I have hope because of that which I know to be true.
The Savior has completed the atonement, which makes it possible for me to continue to grow and improve after this mortal life, as a resurrected being. I have a great deal of gratitude for my Heavenly Father and His Son, for making all of this possible and for the knowledge I have been given, as it has made all the difference in my life.
I have often contemplated where I would be and what my life would have looked like without this knowledge and it pales in comparison to that which I have been blessed with throughout my life. I have been able to see the hand of God in my life and His tender mercies toward me.
As I stated above, when I saw the picture taken by the Hubbell telescope of the Sombrero Galaxy, it brought all of this back to my mind. The universe is so vast and awe inspiring and beyond words to describe, but it was the catalyst which led me to a new and improved life.
By: Ronald Forstner
