173: OUR JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE

"And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed the land, among the people;

and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him."

Moses 6:26

(Photo of  a friend on top of the Parawon Gap) 

A Journey is a defined course of traveling; it is one's path in life. Just like there are not two people created exactly alike, so to, one's path in life in mortality is not exactly the same as someone elses. What we do have in common is that our soul's journey started from a premortal home,  we all pass through mortality, and then we hopefully return back safe to Heavenly parents.

There is a poem that I think very few Latter-day Saints are familiar with. It is called the Hymn of the Pearl. It is found within the apocryphal work called The Acts of Thomas. It is said to have been spoken by the apostle while he was in prison.  Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the apostle’s life, but speaks of a journey of an individual who lived in the glorious kingdom of his parents, where he enjoyed the abundance of glory and light. His parents decide to send him on a journey to retrieve a special treasure, The Pearl, which is guarded by a terrible serpent.

The parents remove their son's glorious robe and royal vestments and prepare him to go on his mission. If he was successful in his mission, this glory would be restored to him.

But as he began to mix with “mortals,” he began to forget his earthly mission and Whose son he truly was. The Royal Parents do not forget their child, but send him a letter to remind him of who he is and what his mission is. He remembers his mission and goes on to conquer the serpent dragon and obtain the pearl, then returns to his royal home.

When he reaches his (heavenly) home, he regains his royal robe and mantle and is crowned with glory. He is welcomed home by his Parents, his elder Brother, and the rest of the Royal Court.


Sidenote:

Some close friends of mine are currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The Pacific Crest Trail  is a long-distance hiking trail which travels along the highest portions of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. The trail starts on the US border with Mexico and ends on the US/Canada border. It is 2,663 miles long and will take them around 5 months to complete. They will experience elevation gains from sea level to 13,153 feet. It is quite the journey for them.  I coorrespond with them and they have mentioned encountering "Trail Angels" and also what is called as "Trail Magic"... or what I would call...Ministers and Miracles.

Here is an exerpt that my friend shared:
"Day 4 was spent traversing mountain top to mountain top overlooking the desert we were about to descend into. The view got me thinking about the origin of the word temples. The greek word Tempulem and similarly the Hebrew word for temple.... both mean the sacred cut. It comes from when the Greeks who would go away from society (cut off from the everyday world) and on a hill or mountain (exactly like we were) look up at the stars and contemplate man's role in the cosmos. Temples are sacred spaces cut off from the mundane, and consecrated to the divine."