Elder Neil L. Anderson (Apr. '21): "The Personal Journey of a Child of God"

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 For me, this talk was an excellent example of how an understanding of the Plan of Salvation impacts our understanding of so many fundamental things.  I loved that about this talk.  As you teach this talk, though, please remember to tread carefully.  There may be people who have had abortions for any number of reasons (some of them acceptable to the Church) but may feel some shame for it.  Shame never brings us to Christ and only serves to distance us from Him.  So, as we talk about that aspect of this talk we should do so with compassion and sensitivity.  That does not mean that we condone abortion but it does mean that we approach this sensitive issue from the standpoint that we are all children of God who know right from wrong and are beloved by our Heavenly Parents.

The Activity:

  1. Read par. 7 "Our eternal perspective . . . now entering mortality."
  2. Explain that our eternal perspective changes how we see each part of our eternal journey-- premortal life, mortal life, and eternal life.
  3. Divide the board into three columns (one for each of the phases of our eternal journey listed above) and ask the class members how our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation changes our understanding of each phase of our existence.
  4. As the class members share their insights, record them on the board.
  5. Among other important elements, make sure to highlight the importance of this life, the blessings to come in the next life, and the fact that we exist before our bodies ever come to be.
  6. After a few minutes, transition to a discussion of other elements of the talk.

Using the Activity:

As I stated in the introduction, I understand that abortion is a central part of this talk, but for me the more powerful aspect was the opportunity to see how an apostle understands the impact of the Plan of Salvation on the way we view everything.  I believe that a large part of living the gospel is how we see things.  So, this activity focused on trying, if you will, to see our lives through the same glasses as Elder Anderson.  

The activity itself is designed to help class members apply this type of view to their own thinking-- to see things in a new, more Christ-like way.  

As always, I hope that this activity is helpful to you.  Please let me know how it goes.  Thank you.  

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